Nightmare in Arkham
by Speilberg
Summary: Freddy Krueger is back and he's moved to a new neighborhood where fear and chaos take up most of the population. The only things standing in his way are Batman and an old victim who has also moved into Gotham. After Freddy marks Batman and the villains of Arkham as his new prey, it's a battle between the masters of fear and Fear, himself.
1. Chapter 1: The Reawakening

_Nightmare in Arkham_

CHAPTER 1: "The Re-Awakening"

_Reviews are most certainly welcomed and encouraged. With that, enjoy the show_

-"I've finally done it!" the Scarecrow cried with a victorious laugh holding a vile filled with dark-red fluid high in the air with his right hand, "Now I will no longer be known as the 'Master of Fear' but as the 'God of Nightmares'!"

From an early age Jonathan Crane, or Scarecrow as he is now known, carried a deep obsession with fear and phobias. He loved scarring people, seeing what made them tick, making his enemies cower at his feet. Unfortunately, this obsession would inevitably lead to his descent into insanity after the university he taught at dismissed him after his experiments on students and staff were taken to the extreme and became increasingly more dangerous. Humiliated, Jonathan swore revenge on society. He began experimenting with chemicals and toxins that would allow him to manipulate people's worst fears and he soon became the boogeyman of Gotham known as the Scarecrow. However, despite his countless attempts to bring Gotham City to its knees in sheer terror there was always one man who he could never break: Batman. The Dark Knight thrived on the fear of his enemies, much like Scarecrow. Except he used intimidation tactics to protect Gotham from what the city labeled as "freaks" and "outcasts". Unfortunately, this included the poor Dr. Crane whose plans Batman would always thwart again and again, throwing him inside of that God forsaken Hell hole known as Arkham Asylum, the ses pool of all of the miserable, twisted garbage that society got sick of looking at.

Well this time would be different because now the Scarecrow held in his hand a new fear toxin that he believed would make him invincible.

Three weeks ago while Jonathan was doing his time inside of his cold cell at Arkham after Batman had ruined his chance at taking the city yet again he passed his time peering through articles and books that talked about, what else, fear. But as he was browsing, one article caught his eye, one that dated back 30 years ago in a town far from Gotham called "Springwood". The article talked about a legend that began after a series of brutal murders befell a large number of the youths of Springwood. The legend centered on the belief, as described by many of the victims prior to their deaths, that the youths had been killed by the spirit of Freddy Krueger, a child murderer that had been burned alive in the town years before this article was released. Each of the victims claimed that upon falling asleep in their beds they immediately found themselves trapped in a nightmare where Freddy appeared before them in the form of their worst fears. They claimed he knew what each of their worst phobias were upon entering their dreams and used them to kill them within their own nightmares. It was rumored that the last victim Freddy tried to kill turned the table on him by bringing him into the real world, trapping him inside an old abandoned house on Elm street where he used to live before the child murders, then blowing him up with a bomb that the victim planted in the house before going to sleep. The blast killed the victim but Freddy's body was never recovered. Some claimed that the teen was the one responsible for the killing and that he planned his death in the explosion after his killing spree was complete. However, they did find one item that each of the other surviving teens claimed belonged to Freddy: a dark, battered fedora hat. The hat was taken into police evidence where it remained for 30 years.

Even Jonathan knew this story was very likely a hoax but after all of the crazy events that he had witnessed in Gotham he had decided it was worth checking into because if there really was a power that would allow him to manipulate people from within their dreams without the threat of the Batman coming after him, this was way too good an opportunity to pass up.

After Jonathan's release from Arkham he boarded the first flight to Springwood, Ohio with the intent of recovering Freddy's hat from the police. This was probably the easiest job he had ever done; not because the cops were so easy to control with the fear gas but because Batman was miles away and had no idea of his crime.

Upon returning to Gotham, Jonathan began studying the hat with complete concentration. He hoped to find a DNA sample on the hat that seemed out of the ordinary. He found just that: the DNA remnants looked nothing like human DNA, they seemed supernatural, otherworldly, like the stuff dreams where made of. After this discovery, Jonathan took a DNA sample from the hat and used it to create what he hoped to be his "Ultimate Fear Toxin". However, Jonathan wasn't planning on using this toxin like the others: he knew that the only way he would be able to harness the power he so desperately wanted would be to put the toxin into his own body.

-Scarecrow brought the vile in front of his face and studied it for a few moments. "If this works I won't just be able to take Gotham but the whole world as well", he said with a devious smile, "The first thing I think I'll do is pay Batman a little surprise visit and find out what skeletons he's hiding in his closet. Then I might even break out a few of my fellow outcasts from Arkham. I'm sure they would all love a chance at taking this whole, miserable world by the throat".

-Scarecrow paused for a moment to consider that last thought, tapping his index finger on his chin with one eyebrow cocked in the air. "Nah!" he said throwing his arm out in front of him, "Why should the God of Nightmares concern himself with such poor excesses for super criminals? If they wanted world domination so badly they would have taken their work a little more seriously instead of constantly letting the Bat interfere with their dreams".

-Scarecrow turned his attention back to his fear potion. "But you've interfered with my dreams for the last time Batman. Now it's my turn to interfere with your's".

-With a sinister chuckle, Scarecrow gulped down the toxin. The entire concoction went down his throat in one swig. He then turned his head and spit, as the toxin left a most unpleasant taste in his mouth. "Blah! This Freddy character even tastes like nightmares" he said. He then closed his eyes and began to wait for the toxin to take effect, expecting to transform into a supernatural entity, like "Jeykll and Hyde", or at the very least feel a significant increase in power surge through his body and mind. After a full minute, neither of these things happened.

-Scarecrow opened his eyes. Nothing had changed. He looked over his body searching for even the slightest effect from the toxin. He found none.

-"I don't understand," said Scarecrow with a clear tone of disappointment, "What did I do wrong?"

-He walked over to his work area where the hat stood alongside a microscope and several ingredients for his toxins. "The DNA on the hat clearly wasn't human! And drinking the chemical should have at least had some sort of bad side effect. Otherwise I just created something with absolutely no value at all!"

-Horrifying thoughts played through Scarecrow's head. What would his family in Arkham think if they saw him now? He could just picture them all laughing at him.

"_Some God of Nightmares, freak!"_

"_Hey Johnny, if we ever need someone for Batman to beat up while we escape you'll be the first one we call!"_

"_Do something scary Johnny! Oh, that's right, you can't!"_

"_You couldn't even scare a crow from a bread crumb. You don't deserve the name 'Scarecrow'!"_

-The thoughts played through the Scarecrow's mind like a never ending merry go round. The torments, the humiliation, the shame all built up inside of him until he erupted into a violent rage. Growling through his teeth, Scarecrow knocked everything in his work area onto the floor with one violent swing from his right arm. Glass and acid and fumes smashed down on the floor and sizzled loudly from being exposed to the air. Freddy's hat, which landed in the center of a giant pool of acid, melted away on the floor.

-Scarecrow removed his mask and sat down at his desk. He placed his hands over his head and grabbed handfuls of his orange hair. "_Where did I go wrong_?" he thought to himself.

-After a few moments in deep thought Jonathan came to a sudden realization: what if the toxin doesn't take effect until the person is asleep? Of coarse, it all made since now! In order for him to control people's nightmares Jonathan had to be inside of the dream world.

-Wasting no time, Jonathan went to his medicine cabinet and took out a bottle of **NyQuil**. He removed the cap and drank the entire bottle in 3 long swigs. The taste was extremely unpleasant but nowhere near as unpleasant as that toxin made from the DNA of someone who had been dead for over 3 decades.

-After washing out the taste Jonathan made his way to his bed. However, when he opened the door it didn't lead his bedroom. It led somewhere that still haunted Jonathan's nightmares: the old abandoned church where he developed his fear of bats. Every detail of that horrible place was exactly the way it was in his youth: dark, decrepit, all the windows were shattered, all of the interior was covered in dust, the floor boards creaked with every step he took, and when he took a step back an entire horde of bats came flying at him from the ceiling. The bats surrounded Jonathan and continued to claw and bite at him no matter how hard he fought back. Screaming and disoriented, Jonathan saw the doorway to the church was wide open this time and he made a quick dash out of the church. The bats flew out along with him and flew off shrieking into the sky.

-After regaining his bearings Jonathan opened his eyes and saw that he wasn't even at his hideout anymore. He was standing in the courtyard of the old church. "How can this be?" he said to himself.

-Jonathan rose to his feet and dusted himself off while gazing in dis-belief of his surroundings. Suddenly, he heard laughter close by. This laugh was one that Jonathan recognized but one he never thought he would hear again. He turned to his left and standing in front of him was Bo Griggs, a bully that Jonathan had paralyzed his senior year of high school after he and his girlfriend played a prank on him while leading him to believe his girlfriend, whom Jonathan had developed a crush on, had strong feelings for him.

-"You!" Jonathan angrily shouted at the tall, muscular athlete that stood before him. "Well, if isn't old Ichabod Crane" Bo said with an evil smirk.

-Suddenly it hit Jonathan: he was in the dream world. How else could he have ended up at this God-forsaken place with the boy he had destroyed years ago standing in front of him fully healed? Jonathan laughed. "You seriously think that insult is going to work on me now? Stupid boy!"

-The expression on Bo's face reverted to anger. "What did you just say to me, Scarecrow?" He said with a threatening tone.

-"You're even dumber than I thought if you think I'm going to take offense to that", Jonathan said with complete confidence, "I _am_ the Scarecrow! The God of Nightmares! The Master of Fear..." Jonathan paused for a moment thinking of how he got his revenge on Bo in the real world. With an evil grin he continued "…and as far as I'm concerned _you_ are Ichabod Crane and I am the Headless Horseman."

-Bo grabbed Jonathan by his coat and lifted him into the air. "And what makes you think that, freak?" He asked with a furious look on his face.

-Grinning at Bo, Jonathan explained, "Because I was the one who had the last laugh. Remember, when I attacked you dressed as a monster and made you run for your life? I even managed to kill your slut of a girlfriend and broke you forever".

-Bo paused for a moment then he began to laugh manically. "You have finally lost it haven't you, freak?" he said as he threw Jonathan to the ground where he landed in front of a mirror leaning against the wall of the church. When he looked at his reflection Jonathan saw that he was back in his shrimpy, lanky, teenage body. Jonathan was shocked and he backed away from the mirror. But he soon remembered that this was only a dream and that Bo couldn't actually hurt him.

-"_Oh my! Do ya need a hand John_?" said an unseen voice that came from a very soft-spoken woman. Jonathan looked up and saw the silhouette of the woman standing over him. Knowing that this was all a dream, Jonathan declined: "No that's quite alright".

-"_Oh okay…"_said the soft voice. Then suddenly the woman's voice turned loud and mocking: "…_then how about a fist?!"_ it said as the woman struck Jonathan in the face and sent him flying to the ground. The strike actually hurt Jonathan and when he touched his face he noticed he had a bloody nose. He soon realized the dreams _could _harm him after all!

-The silhouetted woman stepped into view and reviled herself as the rotting corpse of Bo's girlfriend. Her face was covered in glass shards, her neck was broken and tiled involuntarily about her shoulders, her clothes were ripped and tattered and covered in blood, and her skin was purple grey.

-"Hi Johnny Cake!" the living dead girl shouted to him in a demonic voice, "What's the matter? The 'God of Nightmares' can't even handle poor, defenseless dame who's already dead?"

-Jonathan suddenly heard cruel laughter coming from all directions and when he turned around he saw everyone who had tormented him in the past standing around him laughing at him. They all began taunting and shouting at him:

"_Some God of Nightmares, freak!"_

"_Do something scary Johnny! Oh, that's right, you can't!"_

"_Why don't you see if the Wizard of Oz can give you a brain, and some muscle Scarecrow!"_

"_You couldn't even scare a crow from a bread crumb. You don't deserve the name 'Scarecrow'!"_

-In the ensuing chaos all of Jonathan's tormentors began pelting him with rocks, something they commonly did to him in his youth. Each rock that hit him left scars and bruises all over his body. Jonathan began to run. He sprinted as fast as his scrawny legs would carry him into a cornfield beside the church. He could hear his tormentors running into the field after him.

-After a short time of running Jonathan became exhausted. He could still hear his tormentors running through the cornfield but they weren't heading in his direction.

-Jonathan stopped to rest by a scarecrow in the field. He put his hand on it so he could regain is composure. When he looked up at the scarecrow it wasn't like any scarecrow he'd ever seen in his life: It wore a red and green sweater, a dirty brown fedora hat (much like the one Jonathan had acquired in the real world), and, strangest of all, instead of a scythe it had a glove on its right hand with 4 long knives extending from the fingers like some sort of homemade claw.

-As Jonathan stared at the scarecrow he heard the footsteps of his enemies closing in on him. He knew it would be a matter of time before they found him. Jonathan grabbed the glove from the scarecrow and ducked back into the field out of view. When Bo and the rest of his tormentors made it to the scarecrow Jonathan waited inside the corn for the right moment to strike.

-When Bo walked right in front of where he was standing Jonathan leapt from his hiding place and slashed Bo across the chest. Bo spun around with 4 deep slashes in his chest before falling to the ground dead. Some of the others tried to attack Jonathan but he fended them off with a technique he developed in his youth called "violent dancing". With a series of dance moves combined with Kung Fu fighting moves using the glove as his weapon, Jonathan slaughtered dozens of his attackers leaving their shredded bodies lying on the ground in front of the scarecrow. The few remaining tormentors ran screaming into the cornfield leaving Jonathan and his slain enemies alone by the scarecrow.

-"_Johnny" _Called an ominous voice in the distance, "_Johnny"._

-Jonathan was startled by the voice and began turning in every direction to find where the voice was coming from. "Whose there?" He demanded, "Show yourself!"

-_"Turn around" _the voice insisted. Jonathan spun around, but all that stood behind him was the scarecrow.

-"_Hello Johnny. We meet at last", _said the voice.

-Jonathan started to back away from the scarecrow. "W-W-Who are you?"

-"_Hehehehehehehe….You know who I am" _the scarecrow said, but had no mouth and made no movement what so ever.

-Jonathan _did_ know who it was, but he still could not comprehend it. "F-Freddy Krueger?", he asked puzzaled

-The voice let out a sinister laugh that sent chills down Jonathan's spine. "_So, the Scarecrow has a brain after all"_

-Jonathan couldn't believe it. "So the legend was true. You _are_ real!"

-_"Right again Johnny", _Freddy answered, "_and I also know you're trying to take up my mantle"_. The sky grew dark as grey clouds blocked out the light from the sun in the field. Lightening began striking from the heavens, igniting the field in a blaze. _"You're trying to steal my thunder!"_

_-_Jonathan was terrified. He tried to run but the field was nearly fully engulfed in flames. "NO! I swear! I meant you no harm-", Jonathan was cut off by a bolt of lightening that struck one of the corpses on the ground, causing it to explode in a loud flash of light causing that Jonathan to fall on his back and sent small flames flying through the air where they landed on the remaining bodies, lighting them up in flames as well. Jonathan frantically tried to beg "Please, don't kill me! I swear I'll never even think of stealing your legacy again! In fact, I'll even give up my obsession with fear, I'll never try and spread it again!"

-The lightening ceased. _"Aw, now that's too bad Johnny. Because I actually think that glove looks good on you."_

-Jonathan opened his eyes and looked at the scarecrow, confused. A final bolt of lightening came down and struck the scarecrow and it exploded in a flash of fire. _"Who better to continue my legacy than the Master of Fear in the waking world" _Freddy said, only now that the scarecrow was gone there was no telling where his voice was coming from. As the voice continued to speak Jonathan looked around to see if he could find where Freddy was. _"You didn't have to go through all this trouble to gain my power. If you really wanted me so bad…..all you had to do was say 'please'"._

-Suddenly, Jonathan felt a searing pain inside of his stomach. "_But since you already have me inside of you, I think I'll just take your body instead. Thanks for opening the gate for me Johnny boy". _Jonathan threw his head back and let out an agonizing cry of pain. Fire erupted from his mouth and eyes. Soon Jonathan's entire body was engulfed in flames, which incinerated his skin leaving only a skeleton. The skeleton, still surrounded in fire, stood up right as the fire took shape around the bones and molded into Freddy's body. The fire then took on the solid figure of Freddy. The re-awakening was complete, Freddy was alive and ready to kill again!

-Freddy transformed his surroundings into his preferred setting: his infamous boiler room. "Now, let's see what's on the menu" he said as he turned to one of the walls. He pointed the index finger of his glove at the wall, causing it to split open revealing a sort of television screen that told Freddy where he was and who he had to choose from. When he saw the city he was in and the kinds of people that resided in the city, Freddy threw his head back and let out a loud, sinister cackle that echoed through the boiler room. "Look out Gotham, there's a new freak in town" Freddy said with an evil grin on his face, "But soon, there's going to be only one".


	2. Chapter 2: Un-covering the Ashes

_Nightmare in Arkham_

Chapter Two: "Uncovering the Ashes"

Jonathan Crane's hideout, or at least what little was left of it, was crawling with fire fighters and GCPD officers. Commissioner Gordon arrived on the scene with Harvey Bullock about 30 minutes after the fire squad and by the time they got there, what used to be an old abandoned warehouse was nothing but a heaping pile of charcoal and ash. There was still a cloud of smoke rising from the smoldering ashes on the ground as well as a few small pieces of wood that still had bits of flame burning on them. A few of the fire fighters were still spraying the pile of black soot with the fire hoses to make sure the fire did not start back up again.

-"I never did like that place", Bullock said as they parked their car,"It's been sittin there for God knows how long given the scum of this city a place to hide from us".

-As they exited their vehicle Gordon kept his eyes focused on the scene. "I just hope nobody was hiding in there in the past hour" he said with a concerned look in his eyes.

-Gordon and Bullock began approaching the scene. "_Commissioner!" _called a female voice a few feet away.

-Gordon turned to see Officer Montoya jogging toward him. "Montoya, what have we got here?" asked Gordon as the Spanish descendent officer reached him.

-"From the look of it, we either have a lab accident or arson", Montoya replied.

-"A lab accident?" Gordon asked confused.

-"Yes sir," answered Montoya, "It seems the Scarecrow was the latest creep to set up shop here. From what we've gathered it looks like he was experimenting with some kind of acidic chemical and, in the process, caused a fire to breakout".

-Gordon turned toward the burned down warehouse. "Any leads on him?" he asked, "Does anyone know where he ran off to?"

-"_He's right here", _said a deep, gruff voice from behind them.

-The three officers turned around and were face to face with a tall, dark figure with blank, white eyes, pointy ears covered by a black cowl that exposed only the figures square lower jaw, a black cape, and a yellow and black symbol of a bat. It was none other than Gotham's very own Dark Knight: Batman.

-Batman held up a plastic bag that contained what appeared to a large heap of black dust.

-"Batman," Gordon said startled, "How long have you been here?" Batman was a pro at disappearing and reappearing out of thin air. No one was more aware of this than Gordon. Batman had even appeared in his office seemingly out of nowhere since the day they first met. By now Gordon had grown used to it but every so often Batman's sudden appearances would still startle him.

-"I was the first one on the scene" Batman replied.

-"Oh is that a fact" Bullock chimed in with a suspicious tone, "Then you care to explain how this place wound up lookin like an ashtray?" Bullock really couldn't have cared less about the building but he'd look for any excuse to rouse suspicion against Batman. He didn't trust Batman and was never too keen with Gordon's choice of letting a costumed freak run the city.

-"Bullock!" Gordon interrupted knowing exactly where this was heading, "Why don't you go assist Montoya on the scene? Call me if you find anything worth checking out".

-"Yes sir," Montoya replied and walked away. Bullock followed, grumbling to himself out of frustration. Gordon turned his attention back to Batman.

-"You said you knew where Scarecrow was?" Gordon asked Batman. Batman handed the black bag to Gordon who looked at it confused.

-"What is this? What does this even-" Gordon's eyes caught sight of something sticking out of the ashes. When his eyes adjusted he saw that the ash contained a charred bone fragment. Gordon's eyes widened.

-"Good Lord!" Gordon exclaimed. He looked back up at Batman. "What happened to him? His entire body's been disintegrated."

-"I can't say for sure. All I know is that whatever caused this, Scarecrow was at the base of it."

-"Do you think it was a lab explosion?" Gordon asked

-"Not an explosion" Batman replied "I actually saw the fire breakout from that roof top" Batman said pointing to a large building about half mile away. "A lab accident was my first thought. I did find evidence that Scarecrow was working with some chemicals prior to the breakout but I found his body inside of his bathroom".

-"What kind of evidence?" Gordon asked.

-Batman reached for something on his utility belt and took out a small vile containing a dark-red fluid. He handed the vile to Gordon.

-"What the heck is this stuff?" Gordon asked looking at the vile with an eyebrow raised.

-"I don't know" Batman replied "There was a giant puddle of it on the ground right next to Scarecrow's desk. There was also a bunch of broken glass and lab equipment lying next to it" Batman explained. "Off hand, I'd say he was working on some new kind of fear toxin".

-"Do you think he had an accident at his work place that set him on fire while working with this stuff?" Gordon asked, "Then he tried to run to the restroom to douse himself with water but collapsed before he had the chance and the fire spread to the rest of the building."

-"That does seem probable," Batman answered, "but we won't know for sure until we find out what exactly this stuff is."

-"Right" said Gordon as he stared at the questionable substance Batman had just handed him, "I'll have forensics take a look at this. In the mean time-" Gordon looked back up to face Batman, but Batman was no where to be seen. Gordon knew he would do this; he just didn't know how long it would be before he did it. Gordon sighed. Bullock came walking up to him.

-"Hey Comish, we still haven't found anything in the wreckage. Ole Scare-Creep musta made a run for it cause we ain't found no body-"

-Bullock was interrupted when Gordon held up the plastic bag with Scarecrows cremated body. The bone was still sticking out. Bullock adjusted his eyes and realized what he was looking at. His eyes widened.

-"Oh man! He messed himself up real good".

-"As strange as this sounds I hope you're right". Gordon replied

-"What do ya mean, Comish?" Bullock asked confused.

-"I mean, I hope Scarecrow _did_ do this himself because if this wasn't an accident, then we just might have ourselves a homicidal maniac in town. And if this is what he's capable of.." Gordon looked at the plastic bag "….I don't even want to think about what he'll do next".

-Back at the Batcave Batman had been working non-stop. He had given the chemical sample he found at the crime scene to Gordon but kept a smaller sample to study. For nearly 4 hours straight he had been starring at the chemical through a microscope while researching what sort of compound the toxin was made of. Batman had never seen anything like it before: while most of Scarecrow's previous toxins normally carried some sort neurological stimulant (such as the ones commonly found in LSD), which allowed the toxin to raise a person's anxiety and trick their mind's into thinking they are being attacked by their worst fear, this toxin didn't seem to carry any sort of mind altering factor.

-A little after midnight Alfred, the Butler, strolled into the Batcave carrying a thermos of hot coffee. Alfred would have suggested Batman put his work aside and get a good night sleep. But if there's one thing Alfred learned from his many years as Batman's faithful assistant it's that Batman never slept while the moon was out. How he managed to pull off playing a billionaire playboy by day and a masked crime fighter at night without ever feeling the need for sleep Alfred swore he would never know.

-"My, my Master Bruce. I know many big things have been known to keep you working long hours through the night but never anything that's so small you'd have to stare at it for 4 hours straight through a microscope", Alfred exclaimed.

-Every time Alfred would enter the Batcave and find his employer hard at work he would always greet him with some sort of joke or witty comment. He knew Batman was never one to laugh but he did this because he knew Batman faced so much drama and hardship in his line of duty and he believed that if Batman heard at least one remark that was even remotely humorous, or even just flat out corny, once in a while it would ease a little bit of the stress racing through his mind. Even though Batman never laughed at Alfred's remarks he knew what he was trying to do. And the truth is Alfred did help Batman take his mind off the chaos he endured on a nightly basis. It was only a second or 2 of ease but that was a lot time for someone in Batman's profession. However, this time Batman's mind was buried way too deep in his work for Alfred's attempt to humor him.

-"This '_small'_ thing may have just killed someone" Batman replied without looking up from the microscope.

-"Good heavens," Alfred said while placing the thermos on the counter next to Batman, "Who might the poor, unfortunate soul be?"

-"Jonathan Crane", Batman answered, "He was completely cremated in his own hideout earlier tonight".

-"Jonathan Crane? Jonathan Crane?", Alfred pondered to himself with his thumb on his chin. It didn't take long before he realized whom Batman was referring to. His eyes widened. "My word! You mean the Scarecrow? The only villain you've ever faced, besides the Joker, to tamper with your mind? That Jonathan Crane?"

-"The same," Batman replied.

-Alfred didn't know what to think of this news. Scarecrow was one of the most dangerous criminals to ever strike in Gotham and on more than one occasion he even managed to leave his Master Bruce with a bit of a scare. He even nearly got him thrown into Arkham at one point. But at the same time if there was anything Alfred knew that Batman believed in above anything else it was that all lives were worth fighting to save, even the lives of his enemies.

-"Well, Master Bruce", Alfred began to say taking care not to sound like he was glad that one of the most notorious of Gotham's fiends had been pertinently removed from the picture, "that is tragic, as is any death, but I do suppose this will make your work a little easier with one less fiend to worry about".

-Batman looked up from his microscope.

-"Maybe", Batman replied, "But my goal isn't just to save Gotham from these crazed madmen; I'm also trying to save the crazed madmen from themselves. If I took pride in Scarecrow's death, as I'm sure he would have done with mine, I'd be the same masked criminal that he was".

-"Very noble thinking, sir", Alfred remarked.

-Batman returned his gaze back to his microscope. "Now I just need to find out what exactly Scarecrow was working on at the time of his death before someone else suffers his fate".

-Alfred raised and eyebrow in confusion. "Whatever do you mean?"

-"When I saw Scarecrow's hideout start to go up in flames I busted in to make sure no one was inside. I found Scarecrow's body in the bathroom already burned down to the bone. I managed to put him out but when I did his skeleton disintegrated into dust. I knew that if the building came down on top of his ashes it would be nearly impossible for the forensics to locate the body in the debris from the building. So I scooped up as much of his body as I could in a container and headed out. But before I had a chance I noticed a giant puddle of chemicals lying on the ground next to what I suppose was his work area. The flames hadn't spread into that room yet so took a few quick samples before the place became fully engulfed".

-Batman took a bag from the far end of the counter of his workspace and set it next to Alfred.

-"I kept some of Scarecrow's body has well to do some forensic investigating of my own and, while I haven't had much success with figuring out what exactly this chemical is, I have discovered this: Scarecrow's body carried traces of it inside prior to his death".

-"You mean, he _consumed _this un-natural looking filth", Alfred asked picking up the vile containing the chemical.

-"That's exactly what it looks like", Batman replied.

-Alfred took another look at the dark, blood red liquid he held in his hand and placed it back on the table, turning his head in disgust.

-"Maybe Scarecrow was preparing some sort of potion, like _Jyklle and Hyde" _Alfred suggested_._

-"That would answer the question as to why he used it on himself and not a bank guard" Batman replied "But that still leaves 2 questions: What was he trying to gain from this 'potion' and what, exactly, was in it?"

-Batman moved aside and motioned for Alfred to have a look. Alfred complied and took a look in the microscope. Through the microscope, the sample appeared as a series of bright red scraggily lines that looked like veins working around giant splotches of dark red craters. It sort of looked like a mass of horribly burned flesh.

-"My word!" Alfred exclaimed, "What on earth is this?"

-"That's the problem: I don't know", Batman replied, "But believe it or not whatever this is, it looks like it might be DNA".

-Alfred turned his gaze from the microscope to Batman. "You mean this came from a living being?"

-"Exactly", Batman answered, "But this DNA doesn't appear to be human or animal; it doesn't even look like it resembles anything found on earth. Not even the Bat-Computer was able to identify it. And I haven't found any flammable or combustible ingredients in this sample either, just this DNA. Which means Scarecrow didn't burst into flames simply by drinking this. Something else had to play a role as well".

-Alfred took the thermos and poured a cup of coffee.

-"Well, Master Bruce, perhaps a cup of caffeine will help your mind concentrate better. You may be a creature of the night but even nocturnal creatures sometimes need something to keep their minds awake".

-Batman took a sip from his cup.

-"Thank you, Alfred", Batman replied, "That just might be what I need". He took another sip.

-"Glad to be of assistance," Alfred replied. Then he let out a yawn.

-"If you don't mind, sir, not everyone here is fit for the night life. I should probably being going off to bed now. If you require anymore assistance-"

-"That's okay", Batman interrupted, "I think you've provided me with all the help I'll need. Go catch some shut-eye, Alfred. I'll see you in the morning."

-Alfred smiled at Batman. "Very good, Master Bruce. Goodnight".

-"Goodnight Alfred", Batman replied.

-Alfred climbed into the elevator in the center of the cave and head back up to Wayne Manor for some sleep. When Alfred was upstairs Batman turned his gaze to the small sample of Scarecrow's body.

-"I don't know what you were planning. I don't know how this happened. But despite everything you've put me and the citizens of Gotham through I just hope that you'll be able to find peace. Goodbye Jonathan", Batman stated with a touch of sadness.

-Batman had hoped none of his enemies would end their criminal lives this way. But now all Batman could do was uncover the ashes of what happened on this night and hopefully prevent them from ever happening again.

-Batman grabbed the thermos and with just a few gulps downed the whole thing. He then continued his work.


	3. Chapter 3: Claw vs Claws

_Nightmare in Arkham_

Chapter 3: "Claw vs. Claws"

-As the first crack of dawn began to form over Gotham, Selina Kyle opened the door to her small apartment room holding a gym bag. She had been out all night. For she, like Batman, also had a secret identity: Catwoman. Catwoman operated very similarly: she was a masked vigilante who wore a costume designed after a creature of the night, which is when she usually sprang into action. The only problem was Catwoman was also a criminal. She was one of Gotham's most professional thieves and had broken into nearly every bank and museum within the city limits. But most of her crimes were committed with the goal of aiding animals. Catwoman was a die-hard animal lover and anyone who abused or mistreated animals could definitely look forward to feeling this feline's fury. But Catwoman also committed crimes simply because she enjoyed the thrill of the cat and mouse game (where ironically she was the mouse). But it wasn't just the police that she loved to have on her tail; she was absolutely thrilled to have Batman tailing her. This was primarily because Catwoman had deep, sexual urges for the Dark Knight and Batman shared these feelings. The only problem was Batman was a crime fighter and Catwoman committed crime. So their relationship had to be put on hold for the time being. But this did not matter to Catwoman. She had "almost got him" more than once and, sooner or later, she knew the two of them would ride through the night together as either a hero duo or a villain duo (probably both).

-As soon as Selina stepped inside of her apartment she called out for her cat. Her cat, Isis, was usually lying on the couch when she came home but, surprisingly, she was nowhere to be seen. Selina was too exhausted to think anything of it. She would always leave the window open, just a crack, in case Isis ever wanted to get some fresh air. She loved Selina too much to leave and never return and she never wandered too far from the building so Selina was sure she was fine.

-Selina walked across the living room into a small hallway behind the couch and walked into the door at the end of the hall into the master bedroom. She tossed the bag containing her costume onto the foot of her bed and looked up at her window. Just as she had thought: the window was open just enough for her cat to get in and out of the room. She was probably off chasing some mice on the rooftop.

-Selina stripped down until she was completely nude. It had been a rather disappointing night: Catwoman must have hit at least 9 banks that night but Batman never showed up. A few police officers gave chase but only a very small handful. And losing them wasn't even worth calling a "challenge". In fact there barely seemed to be any police around the city at all last night.

-"Something really big must have gone down last night", Selina said to herself. "Oh well, I'm sure I'll hear about it soon enough".

-Selina walked into her bathroom, stepped inside the tub, and turned on the shower. She had been out all night and, contrary to most cats, Catwoman _loved_water. Nothing relaxed her after a night on the town like a nice, warm shower to wash away the exhaustion, sweat, and the occasional blood off of her mind and body. It also helped her relax after a night like tonight when she spent the whole time throwing herself into the ocean and not getting a single bite from any game.

-Selina allowed the water to rush down her short, black hair, down her back, over her naked buttocks, down her legs, and onto her sore feet. After she spent a few moments enjoying the warm flow of the water over her body she grabbed a bottle of shampoo and squirted a small amount into her hand. Selina set the bottle down and rubbed the shampoo into both of her hands before scrubbing it into her hair. As she did so she allowed the water rushing out of the showerhead above her to rain down on her open chest where it flooded over her boobs. Selina loved the feeling and let out a soft, pleasurable moan as the warmth embraced her body. Selina washed the shampoo out of her hair as her sharp fingernails scrubbed out what little remaining soap was left behind. Then came her favorite part. Salina grabbed a bar of body soap off the side of her tub and soothed it over her entire body. The cleansing lotion felt wonderful on her arms, legs, stomach, back, boobs, buttocks, and private area. After her entire body was lathered to her liking Salina stepped backing to the flow of the water and all she had to do was put her arms out and relax as the water covered her entire body in a blanket of warmth. As the soap started to wash down her body Selina let out a long sigh of enjoyment.

-Selina emerged from her bathroom wearing a "Hello Kitty" nightshirt and a pair of leopard-skin underwear with purple skin rather than yellow skin. As she sat down on the side of her bed she brought one of her feet up and rested it on her knee. Even though she had not done much running that night just the act of jumping of over roof tops and landing on solid concrete did a number on her feet. She started rubbing the sole with her two thumbs.

-"God, where's a _man_ when you actually need him. This is no job for a woman" Selina said to herself, annoyed. After a minute she put her foot down and repeated the same process for the other one. After her feet were soothed out to her liking Selina pulled them up onto the bed, laid her back against the pillow, pulled the covers over her body, and closed her eyes.

-As Selina rested on her bed she heard the sound of a cat meowing outside.

-"_There you are, Isis"_ Selina thought to herself.

-She did not get out bed or even open her eyes. Selina knew the window was open so all Isis had to do was slip under it. But the meowing continued. After about 3 meows from her cat Selina opened her eyes. Isis was indeed at the window but the window had somehow been shut.

-"Hmm, that's weird", Selina said to herself. She got out of the bed and started making her way toward the window. Isis continued to meow.

-"Okay, baby, okay. Keep your fur on. I'm coming", Selina said to her cat. Selina reached the window and saw that even though day was starting to break it was still unusually dark. Selina opened up the window and took Isis into her arms.

-"High sweetie", Selina said to Isis in a motherly voice while planting kisses on her head, "What have you been doing all night? You been chasing rodents again? Mama tried to get some rodents to chase her but they were too busy-" Selina was cut off when something very peculiar caught her eye: Down in the ally, under a dim light, there appeared to be three children skipping rope as if it were broad daylight. _Where are these kids' parents? What are they doing out in the middle of a nearly pitch dark alley way alone? Do these kids have death wish?_

-Before Selina could call out to the children she felt something on her body. It was a warm, wet sensation under her breasts where she was holding Isis. Selina looked down at her cat.

-"Isis, did you just pee on me?" Selina asked, annoyed, as she held Isis in front of her.

-What Selina saw made her eyes shoot open so wide that if they were to get any wider they would pop out of her head, her mouth dropped open into a huge gape and she let out a loud, horrified gasp. Isis had 4 deep slash marks running down one side of her body. The slashes looked like they had come from an animal claw. Selina almost threw up. She closed her mouth as the bile started to rise in her throat and this caused her to jerk her body to the left and cover her mouth with one hand. Isis leaped from Selina's arms and darted out of the room.

-Selina forced the bile back down her throat and let out a gagging cough. Suddenly she heard a dark, sinister laugh that sounded like it was coming from outside. Selina instantly rose to the window and peered outside. The children were gone and in their place was what appeared to be the silhouette of a man. As Selina stared at the dark figure she noticed a puddle of red liquid on the ground next him.

-Selina grinded her teeth in a rage and darted toward the foot of her bed. She didn't care if the man was gone by the time she got outside. She would find him in a millisecond. Hell, maybe _this _would get Batman's attention. But that was the least of Selina's concerns. Right now all that mattered was her ripping that bastards eyes out his socket and feeding them to Isis. She didn't want to kill him, not yet, because if Isis died from her wounds she would have something much worse in store for that cat killer.

-As soon as she was fully clothed Catwoman leaped out of her window into the dark ally below. The man was no longer there but the blood was. Catwoman cringed at the sight of it. As she turned her head she spotted a shadow walking down another ally.

-"Hey! Stop where you are, murderer!" Catwoman screamed before sprinting after the shadow. But by the time she had reached the end of the corner the shadow had disappeared. Catwoman looked up just in time to see something disappear over the rooftop above the alley. Wasting no time Catwoman hurled her whip at a steel barricade along the staircase on the side of the building. After giving the whip a good tug to make sure the barricade would not give way Catwoman pulled herself off the ground and hurtled herself onto the top of the staircase, released her whip, and leapt onto the rooftop. The figure was nowhere in sight. There was no stairway on the rooftop for him to retreat inside the building so he had to be on the roof somewhere.

-"Come out you coward! What's wrong, defenseless animals are no trouble for you but you can't handle me?" Catwoman shouted into the night. She ran toward one of the edges and spotted the figure walking behind yet another corner below.

-"I've got you now" Catwoman exclaimed angrily. She leapt from the roof and landed feet first on the ground. When she turned the corner the figure was gone but she did come across something: the three children she saw earlier were now skipping rope in the ally. Now Catwoman was confused. She concealed her whip so as not to scare the children off but kept a hand close by it in case that sick fuck decided to come after the children next.

-"Hello?" Catwoman called to the children. They did not respond. Catwoman began slowly walking toward them.

-"I'm not going to hurt you" Catwoman assured the children as they continued their little game. "Listen to me kids: there's a very bad man somewhere close by, he's going to try and hurt you so you have to come with me now. I'll keep you safe".

-As Catwoman came within 3 feet of the children they started singing a song: "_1, 2, Freddy's coming for you. 3, 4, better lock your door. 5, 6, grab your crucifix. 7, 8, better stay up late. 9, 10 never sleep again."_

-As Catwoman starred confusingly at the children as they sang, a terrible screeching noise, like iron nails scraping against a chalkboard, rang out behind her. When Catwoman turned around the figure was slowly walking toward her scraping his hand against the wall sending small sparks flying through the air as he approached. The figure chuckled the same way it did at her window. It was still hard to make the silhouette out but it appeared to be a man wearing a fedora hat.

-"Hold it right there!" Catwoman yelled at the figure. But it kept coming.

-"I'm not going to let you hurt these children you sadistic bastard!"

-Catwoman turned toward the children to tell them to run but, much to her surprise, they had vanished. Catwoman returned her gaze toward the figure, which continued its slow approach.

-Catwoman grabbed her whip and cracked it against the ground causing a sharp, lightening noise to echo through the alley. The figure was un-deterred. It continued walking until it was just a few steps from the shadow's edge.

-"Alright then, come out and show your face so I can rip it off." Catwoman demanded as she took a fighting stance with her whip raised in the air ready to strike. However, this was a demand Catwoman soon regretted.

-The figure stepped out of the shadows and made every last grotesque feature visible to her. It was indeed a man, or at least that's what Catwoman _thought _it was. Catwoman studied Isis' attacker intently taking in every detail.

-_Okay, whatever this thing is, it wears closes like a human; but who the hell wears a fedora hat with a Christmas sweater? And that face: if this thing is human then he must have had one hell of a freak accident. Wait a second. Oh great! Just what Gotham needs: another super freak. Why Gotham? What is it about this particular city that makes it a hot spot for rejected horror movie monsters? No matter. This one's stay isn't going to be long._

-As Catwoman stared at the monstrosity that stood before her it raised its right hand and flicked it's fingers out causing the blades to "_shink"_from being rubbed against each other.

-Catwoman's gaze broke and she took a step back, her eyes now focused the figure's hand. At first she could not make out what she was looking at. It looked like a giant claw at first glance. But as Catwoman stared at it longer she saw that the "claw" was actually a glove with what looked like 4 knives attached to the fingertips. Then, much to Catwoman's horror, she noticed the knives were covered in blood.

-The creature spoke: "Now, there's a pussy I'd love to sink my fingers in". Then it added with a chuckle, "I just hope you're better than that tiny one back there". It then rubbed its bladed fingers together creating a series of sharp, scraping noises.

-Growling through her teeth, Catwoman lashed her whip at the creature but it simply stepped aside and grabbed the cord as it wisped past. Catwoman jerked her arm back hard trying to recover the whip for a second blow but the creature's grip was stronger than she would have anticipated.

-It looked up at Catwoman smiling. "Kinky" it said before giving the cord a violent tug that, much to Catwoman's surprise, sent her flying off the ground where she landed on her back right beside the creature. The creature brought it's clawed hand up and started to bring it down in a stabbing motion but it only took Catwoman a second to react. She bended both of her knees and pushed off the ground with both of her hands launching herself off the ground like a spring. When Catwoman pushed herself up she kicked the creature's arm away before it made impact and landed on her feet.

-With the creature caught off guard Catwoman landed 2 successful slashes across the creatures face and chest before kicking him in the stomach. Catwoman then struck the creature on the back as it leaned over in agony causing it to fall down.

-As the creature rose, it lunged its claw at Catwoman trying to stab her in the chest but her quick reflex foiled its attempt again. Catwoman grabbed the creature's arm and pulled it to its feet only to pin it against a wall face down. Catwoman pressed her forearm across the creature's back to hold it against the wall and, with her free hand, plunged her fingers into the creature's back causing it to scream in agony. Catwoman then raked her fingers to the side in a slashing motion while releasing the creature from her other arm causing it spin around facing her.

-Without giving the creature a chance to react, Catwoman swiped her hand across the creature's face and used the momentum to spin her body around and deliver a kick to the back of the creature's legs causing it to fall flat on it's back. Catwoman then stepped on the creature's gloved hand pinning it down while stepping on the creature's chest with her other foot. Catwoman then leaned down close to the creature's horribly disfigured face and sneered at it.

-"First law of the jungle freak: a lion needs _two_ claws to catch it's prey" Catwoman exclaimed while holding both of her hands in front of the creature's face. On the tips of all 10 fingers Catwoman had tiny needle like spikes. They were no where near as big as the creature's knives but Catwoman knew exactly how to put them to use and the small size made them easier to maneuver.

-The creature just smiled wickedly at her and said "That may be true, but you're not in the jungle, princess. You're in _my_ world".

-Catwoman looked at the creature confused. "What are you talking abo-", Catwoman was cut off after she took her eyes off of the creature beneath her. Her entire surrounding had changed: she was no longer in the alley but on a catwalk in what she could only guess was a giant boiler room. The walls were all crimson red, chains dangled from the ceiling, fire spewed out of the dozens of furnaces that littered the room, steam clouded the room in a hazy mist that slightly hindered her vision, and the whole room was unbearably hot. Catwoman knew she couldn't have been in the room for more that 20 seconds, yet her body was already starting to drip with sweat.

-A drop of water leaked from the ceiling right above Catwoman and it landed on her face and sizzled once it made contact with her wet, bare skin. "OW!" she shrieked raising a hand to her face.

-The creature took advantage of this and abruptly jerked his hand out from under Catwoman's foot and slashed the calf muscle on her other leg. This weakened Catwoman's hold on the creature allowing him roll out from under her foot. The creature rose to his feet behind Catwoman and grabbed her crotch in his gloved hand while using his left hand to grab her in a chokehold.

-Catwoman was left in a moment of shock from the feeling of her leg being scratched, the metal knives slowly rubbing against her pride area (THIS WAS NOT A PLEASURABLE FEELING), and the sudden constriction around her neck. Catwoman let out a surprised gasp.

-"Mmmm" the creature whispered while breathing down Catwoman's sweat covered neck. The creature began slowly began sliding his knives down Catwoman's midsection until the tips rested right on top of her pussy, "This kitty's in heat."

-In all the years Catwoman had put up with the lecherous scum that tried to lull her with one perverted move after another she had never felt so violated. She felt like she had been raped by this _thing's_ mere words. First he hurts her cat and now _this?_There was no question about it: this thing had to die.

-Catwoman released the creature's arm and slammed both of her claws into both the creature's side. This caused him to lose his grip on Catwoman's throat. She jerked away and, just as quickly, turned back around and began slashing viciously at the creature.

-"YOU FILTHY"(_swipe)_"PERVERTED"(_swipe)_"SADISTIC"_(swipe)_" CAT-KILLING"_(swipe)_"ABOMINATION!" Catwoman then kicked the creature in the face causing it to fall on it's back once again.

-"That was for me", Catwoman stated angrily. She then raised her whip. She was going to lash this monstrosity until there was nothing left but bones which Catwoman would feed to the stray dogs in the various alley ways in Gotham (after she figured out where the hell she was _now)_. "And _this_ is for Isis".

-Just as Catwoman was about to rain down her lashes on the creature she was abruptly startled by a loud beeping noise. She disappeared from the boiler room leaving Freddy lying on the ground, puzzled.

-Selina shot up from her bed breathing heavily. She looked around and saw that she was back in her room on her bed. When she calmed down she realized the loud buzzing was her alarm clock. Selina shut off the alarm and sighed in relief.

-"_Meow"_. Selina shot her head up and saw Isis lying at the foot of her bed. Selina could not describe how happy she was to see her.

"Oh, Isis! Come see momma baby!" Selina cooed with her arms stretched out. Isis got to her feet and walked over to her master's out stretched arms. As soon as she was within reach Selina scooped Isis up in her arms and held her tightly to her chest kissing her head repeatedly. Isis purred with delight.

"Momma just had a bad dream. Someone hurt you; but I beat him up! Nobody mess's with my baby!" Selina cooed to Isis while scratching the top of her head (something Isis absolutely loved). Selina then took Isis in another tight embrace and she nestled into Selina's chest with her head resting just under Selina's chin. Isis then started to purr on Selina's chest giving her a warm relaxed feeling.

-After lying down with Isis for a few moments Selina decided to get out of bed. She leaned her feet over the side of the bed still holding onto Isis. When she placed her foot on the ground and put weight on it Selina fell back on the bed in pain.

-"Ow!" Selina shouted. Isis fell from her arms and landed feet first on Selina's lap. Selina raised her leg up forcing Isis to move onto the bed beside her. When Selina looked at her right leg she saw that there were 4 fresh, deep slash marks across the side of her lower leg just above her ankle. The cuts were still bleeding.

-"What in the world?" Selina asked herself as she stared dumbfounded at her scars. Selina sat on the bed confused and speechless. Then she remembered in the dream that _thing_ scratched her leg. _But how could I have a scar from my dream?._

-Eventually Selina calmed herself and reasoned that maybe she had scratched her leg on something in her sleep and she saw it in her dream as someone attacking her. Isis may have even done it. Although the marks looked way too big to have come from a cat's claw. Regardless, Selina was not afraid. Weather last night was dream or not Selina had not met a freak yet that she could not handle (except for Batman of course). Selina looked back at her leg.

-"I'v heard of dreams scarring people but this is ridiculous", she chuckled to herself.

-Back in the dream world Freddy rose to his feet. His scars and wounds from his fight with Catwoman already healed. "This might be tougher than I thought. These little piggies actually have some fight in them". After a moment of thought he chuckled to himself, "So I guess I should start with the weakest link. Although, I should probably get the lucky bastard to be my messenger boy first. Too bad Scarecrow isn't available. Oh well," Freddy lifted his shirt to reveal a frightened face sticking out of his abdomen, screaming, "He's serving a much grander purpose".

-Freddy lowered his sweater and turned toward a wall. He then flicked the index finger from his glove at the wall causing it split open revealing the screen that he had used when he first came back to life. "Let's see now".

-Freddy began searching through his list of potential victims but most of them seemed to be near Catwoman's level. If he wanted to get to those people he needed someone weak, someone he could use to spread his presence in Gotham, then it would be easier for Freddy to invade his victim's thoughts.

-It was a common misconception that in order for Freddy to successfully strike down a victim that victim had to be completely afraid of him. This was partially true. The truth was Freddy simply needed his victims to be in a state of emotional distress and not be able to think straight. It was easier for him to do this when his victims were angry, confused, sad, scared, etc. But in this city, emotional distress seemed to be something that most of his new prey had learned to live with….or so they thought. Catwoman obviously was not as mentally unstable as a lot of these other weirdos but even they seemed to embrace whatever made them what they were. This could prove to be a challenge…Freddy loved the idea.

-After a few moments of searching his list something on the screen caught Freddy's eye. "Yes", Freddy wickedly spoke to himself out loud, "Yes, perfect. This one even has the same mind set as some of my old prey: stupid, naïve, and _vulnerable_". As he continued to watch the screen he chuckled, "You are the weakest link" before finishing in a sinister tone "_Goodbye"._


	4. Chapter 4: I've Dealt with Nightmares

_Nightmare in Arkham_

Chapter 4: "I've Dealt With Nightmares Before"

_SIDE NOTE: I'm not using the character designs based off of 1 particular series. I'm using which-ever design for a character I liked the most. For example, I'm using Batman's design from the Animated series as well as the Joker but Harley's design is based on her appearance in Harley Quinn comic #2._

-Harley Quinn woke up screaming like a banshee. She looked around the room in a cold sweat, panting. It was another nightmare. She sat against the wall with her hands on her forehead as if she were nursing a headache.

-"Honey Pooh?" called a wheezy, clown voice from the shadows. Harley gasped and shot her head up. Standing before her was her "Lovin Puddin" the Joker. He stood towering over her with his yellow eyes fixed intently on Harley.

-"Oh! M-M-Mista J! H-How long have you been here?" Harley asked backing away.

-"Well, I don't know. How long ago did you scream like a dying a school girl?" The Joker asked casually.

-Harley tried to answer the question; her voice meek and deprived of any confidence: "Oh…um? I think-"

-"Oh no, no, no Harley girl. You _weren_'t thinking," the Joker interrupted in a calm, neutral voice, "You weren't thinking because you screamed at around the same time I was scheming. And what have I've told you time and time again, Harley-kins?"

-"Um…that 'scheming and screaming don't mix'".

-"Very good, Harley! Now, since you already had that rule implanted in that precious, adorable little head of yours'," the Joker placed a hand on Harley's head and began lifting and dropping his fingers on top of Harley's half black, half red dyed hair, "why don't you tell ole Mista J what was so important you had interrupt him for the hundredth-time with that little voice box of yours even after I told you 'women's mouths are for sucking not talking?" The Joker's voice still remained calm.

-Fear started to bubble inside of Harley's gut. She knew that if she said the wrong thing her "Sweat-heart" would beat her to the point where she could barely walk. But if she lied he'd beat her to the point where she could barely stand. Her body was littered with scars, bruises, and cuts that had either healed, half-healed, or not healed at all. All of these were punishment that Mista J would frequently use on her for angering him. And nothing set him off more than when he was interrupted while cooking up a plan to break the Bat.

-"Well, Puddin…it was that dream again".

-"No!" the Joker exclaimed feinting shock.

-"I try my hardest to please you but no matter what I do I always mess up in ways I didn't even think I was capable of"

-"E-Gad!"

-"And then you take out a crowbar"

-"You mean like this one?" the Joker asked holding up a crowbar; his voice still sounding concerned. The crowbar was covered in blood from people that Harley had witnessed the Joker savagely beat to death for their failure. He had not used it on her but would always make her watch the beatings telling her that this would be her fate if she did not straighten up.

-Harley's eyes widened in fear at the sight of it. "Yes, exactly like that," she continued as she started to whimper like a frightened puppy, "and then,...and then…" Harley began to cry softly.

-"And then what? Spit it out, Harley."

-Harley let out a sobbing gasp and cried out "And then you tell me that you never loved me and that you just used me because you knew I would be easy to manipulate!"

-"OHHH! The idea!" the Joker exclaimed covering his mouth as if in shock.

-"And then you beat me to death while I lie on the ground pleading for you to stop! But you just laugh at my tears and keep beating me until everything goes black!" Harley could not go on. It was as if she had just relived the dream all over again. She covered her face and began to sob into her hands.

-"Tsk, tsk, tsk. My, my…you poor baby. That awful dream just puts a frown on my face every time you tell me…..just like the 1428 times you told me before. But believe me I feel your pain: I have similar nightmares."

-Harley stopped crying and wiped her eyes. She looked at the Joker confused. The Joker never slept. He didn't even have a bed for himself. His obsession with Batman never gave him time to sleep. "But Puddin…you never sleep".

-"Precisely, so if I have a nightmare then it's a _living nightmare._" The Joker's voice finally reverted to anger and his hand, which was lightly placed on Harley's head, suddenly grabbed a handful of her hair. Harley's mouth slackened in pain.

"And there is no greater nightmare than one where I'm interrupted while I'm trying to bring a smile to the world in the form of its ironic, comedic destruction! And yet night after friggin night I have constantly had to relive that very nightmare because you can't control you wild, hair-brained, exaggerated thoughts! THE NIGHTMARE JUST NEVER ENDS!"

-Harley was terrified. Tremors shot through her entire body and for a moment she thought she may have felt a tiny stream of urine run down her leg. He was going to kill her this time.

-"NO! Please don't kill me, please!"

-"Why not?!" The Joker shouted raising the crowbar.

-"Because you love me!" Harley screamed hysterically. The Joker froze. He stood starring at Harley stunned. Harley opened her eyes and turned to the Joker; eyes pleading.

-"D-Don't you Puddin?" Harley remembered her dream and the thought frightened her. She dreaded hearing the answer.

-The Joker started to chuckle and the chuckle eventually turned to laughter and the laughter into a cackle. Harley did not know how to feel. The Joker didn't say he loved her but he didn't kill her either.

-"Oh, of _course_ I love you Baby Cake. How many times do I have to tell you that?" The Joker asked, suddenly calm again.

-"Well, it's just that…you hurt me a lot. And, um, I've been told by some of our Arkham friends that's not what love is," Harley replied nervously.

-"Oh, what do they know? They've never been in love. If they had, they'd know that love hurts. For example…"

-The Joker slapped Harley across the face causing her to bang her head against the wall.

-"Did that hurt?" he asked. Harley weakly, nodded.

-The Joker then slammed his fist down on Harley's thigh right over a bruise that he had inflicted on her earlier that had not healed yet causing Harley to whimper in pain.

-"You see: love hurts. So I must love you at lot." Harley smiled weakly.

-"But ya know how you can show your love for _me?"_

-Harley looked at the Joker nervously, "H-How Puddin?"

-Harley was thrown out the door of the old abandoned "Laff City" theatre and she landed face first on the hard concrete pavement. A giant, red scrape mark formed on her right cheek.

-"You can stay away from here until you get your nightmare under control, _that's _how!" the Joker shouted at her before slamming the doors shut. Harley had been thrown out again. After promising to do better she had failed her Puddin again. Why was she such a worthless piece of garbage? Why couldn't she do anything right? She felt weak, helpless, and useless.

-It was times like these she would turn to her best friend, Poison Ivy, for help. Poison Ivy was like a mother to Harley. She showed Harley affection that she never thought she would ever know. She would always clean Harley up when the Joker beat her, give her a place to stay, a hot meal, a cozy bed, she didn't even mind when Harley made skin on skin contact with her (something she frequently did to people when she took a liking to them). In fact, she showed her every bit of love and care that she wanted from the Joker but never received. But, unfortunately, Harley could not rely on Ivy to save her this time. For she was currently locked up in Arkham; another poor, lost soul labeled a "freak of society". Harley covered her eyes as she began so cry and slowly walked away.

_MEANWHILE…_

-The redheaded woman walked down the hallway of Arkham Asylum accompanied by a tall, skinny African American woman with short hair. As they pasted the glass cased cells hundreds of perverted, mentally ill lunatics ran up to the glass licking it. Some of them made threatening gestures while others just looked at them with menacing eyes. The redhead woman looked around at the various psychopaths as they passed them but the African American woman looked straight.

-"Don't worry, dear," the African woman said calmly, "these inmates can't do a thing behind those walls and as long as you keep your head on straight they won't be any trouble to you."

-The redhead nodded. She wasn't afraid though.

-At the end of the hallway was an office with a glass window with "Dr. Leland" written on it in big, white letters. They stepped into the office and the redhead took a seat in a chair in front of a large wooden desk. Dr. Leland took a seat at her desk and began browsing through a stack of papers while the redhead sat patiently. After a minute or two Dr. Leland turned to the redhead.

-"So, Dr. Johnson, it says here you've had quite an experience dealing with the mentally ill," Dr. Leland said.

-"Well, I prefer to think of them as 'mentally troubled'. I specialize in helping people come to terms with traumatic events from their past. It's my belief that most people who wind up in places like this are having trouble coping with the world around them because of a traumatic experience or because they're struggling with inner demons or fears that they are either denying, running away from, or don't know how to control. From what I've heard, this city has seen quite a collection of troubled souls" Dr. Johnson replied.

-"Well, I suppose that would be the _light_ way to put it. Yes, Gotham has dealt with a large concentration of oddities over the years. But let me tell you right now: don't think these inmates will make it easy for you to reach them. Most of them have actually come to relish what they have become. Believe me, I once knew one who started out just like you. Her name was Harleen Quinzel. She came here as an intern completely sure of herself, had no doubts that she could break through to the maniacs littering this hell-hole, now she's one of those maniacs. She was such a strong, ambitious woman but she gave herself over to this city's worst nightmare".

-"Trust me Dr. Leland-"

-"Oh, please, call me Joan".

-"Okay then, Joan, you can call me Alice. And trust me: I've dealt with nightmares before".


	5. Chapter 5: Heroes and Criminals

_Nightmare in Arkham_

Chapter 5: Heroes and Criminals

-Robin and Batgirl had been in charge of patrolling the city for a little over a week now. Batman had become consumed by his research in finding out what caused Scarecrow's death. But, of course, he could not leave the city unguarded. So he enlisted the help of his 2 most trusted alias: Dick Grason, also known as "Robin: the Boy Wonder", and Barbara Gordon, daughter of Commissioner Gordon, also known as "Batgirl". Robin and Batgirl patrolled opposite areas of the city checking in on each other's status now and then.

-"Hey, Babs" Robin called through his bat communicator. Batgirl shrugged in annoyance. "Dammit Dick! You know I don't like being called that. At least not while on duty".

-"Sorry", Robin answered, "I was just checking in. There's not much going down on my side. Anything to report on yours'?"

-"Nothing I couldn't handle; just a common thug or two", Batgirl replied. "The city's been surprisingly quite since Scarecrow…you know".

-"Yeah, I know what you mean. B-Man hasn't been himself lately either. Have you noticed he seems a bit…depressed?"

-"What else is new?" Batgirl answered.

-"No, I mean more depressed than usual. Like he's lost a close friend or something."

-Batgirl was puzzled, "Are you saying he's mourning Scarecrow's death?"

-"It looks that way. Seems weird, huh?"

-"I guess; it sure wouldn't be _my_ first reaction if I found out my worst enemy was gone for good but I never would have taken him for someone to celebrate their demise either".

-"Yeah well, with how slow things seem to be moving now days I almost miss Scarecrow myself…almost."

-"Would you feel better if _I_sent you a motivation letter before your next football game?" Batgirl asked jokingly referring to the BTAS episode "Fear of Victory".

-"HELL NO! Oh wait, I mean, if you do it…please don't mention that again."

-Batgirl chuckled with amusement. Suddenly, a gruff stern voice interrupted them from the other line. "_Batgirl? Robin? Come in Batgirl and Robin."_Batgirl and Robin both froze in surprise. Batgirl was the first to answer.

-"Hey, Batman, what's up?"

-"How goes the research?" Robin asked

-_"Still inconclusive. How are things looking in the city?"_

-"City's been surprisingly decent this past week" Batgirl replied.

-"Yeah", Robin exclaimed, "It's actually kind of scary. I'm can't shake this strange feeling that something big is getting ready to go down some time really soon".

-"_That's what I'm trying to avoid. In the meantime I want you guys to continue patrolling the city for at least one more week. If anything big does come up I want you to contact me immediately."_

-"Understood", Robin said.

-"_Good"_, Batman replied.

-"Robin out", Robin said before signing off.

-Batgirl was about to follow suite when she realized something she had been meaning to tell Batman.

-"Hey Batman, I just realized, there is something I thought you might be interested in hearing".

-"_What is it"?_

-"Apparently, Arkham just got a new doctor".

-This caught Batman's attention. "_A new doctor? How long ago?"_

-"I just found out today. She started sometime this week. Her name's Alice Johnson. Apparently she specializes in helping people by helping them come to grips with past trauma from early stages in their life, like childhood-early adulthood experience."

-There was a "click" on the other end of the communicator

-"Hello?" Batgirl called into the communicator. There was no answer. Batman had signed off. Batgirl turned her gaze back to the city. Suddenly something caught her eye. It appeared to be someone scaling the side of a building. Batgirl took out a pair of binoculars and peered at the scene about a half a mile away. The building was a Natural History museum. Batgirl turned her gaze to the figure climbing the side of the building and, sure enough, she saw Catwoman. Batgirl lowered her binoculars and smirked. "Finally, some action!"

-Catwoman was just a few feet from the top of the building. She had a small sack hanging over her shoulder that she was planning on using to steal a valuable cat's head statue. She was not planning on staying long, not just because she only wanted to attract some attention for a thrill chase, but also because her scar on her leg had not fully healed and still hurt like hell when too much pressure was put on her foot. She could still move swiftly through the city but not with a heavy load weighing her down.

-Just as Catwoman was about to grasp the top of the building with her hand, she heard a loud shout in the distance: _"Hold it right there!"_

_ -S_tartled, Catwoman turned her head toward the noise and saw Batgirl flying toward her on her grapple gun.

-"Shit", Catwoman exclaimed annoyed. She lept from the building and used her whip to grapple herself onto a street light and swung herself over the street onto a balcony outside of an apartment building. Batgirl pursued her repeating the same process but by the time she made it to the balcony Catwoman had already disappeared onto the roof and made her way onto another building. Batgirl leaped onto the top of the building but Catwoman had already disappeared.

-Catwoman moved through the ally ways like a panther prowling through the night jungle staying far from the rooftop so that she could stay hidden in the shadows. After about 2 minutes of running from the flying mouse girl Catwoman stopped on a balcony to rest.

-"Goddamned flying rat", Catwoman said to herself irritably, "this poor starving kitty needs food and she has to swoop in and steal my meal ticket. Someone outta lock _her_ up for cruelty to animals".

-Catwoman leaned her hand over to her side to rest it but, in the process, accidentally pushed over a garbage can, which fell into the ally below. When the can hit the ground the loud clanging noise was accompanied by the painful, frightened screams of a female voice. Startled Catwoman looked over the balcony to see what she had hit and saw in the pale light a young girl with black tear stained make-up running down her eyes. Her hair, which had been dyed black and red, had started to fade into a light blonde color and it looked like it had not been washed in a week. She wore black and red skin tight shorts that looked more life underwear than actual pants, a red and black top that just barely covered her chest and showed off her mid-section and 2 thigh high stockings 1 red and 1 black. All of these articles of clothing were torn and filthy and the woman seemed to have pale white skin covering some parts of her body while the rest of it was plain Caucasian skin. The woman was covered in scars and bruises and the first thing that popped into Catwoman's mind was that it was just another street prostitute that frequented the various slum parts of Gotham but it did not take long for her to realize who she was looking at. "Harley", Catwoman whispered to herself.

-Harley ran out from under the catwalk terrified. She shot her head up to search for who ever attacked her but Catwoman remained concealed in the dark. Normally Harley would have dropped a bomb in the alley and blasted her enemy out but the 7 days she had spent on the streets left her tired, weak, depressed, and frightened. She did not want look for trouble and she sure as hell didn't want trouble to find her. She ran off toward the safety of the lit streets while Catwoman watched in the shadows.

-Catwoman was usually very sympathetic toward people in Harley's current situation, especially women. She was once a lost, scared, and broken soul wandering the dark streets with nothing to help her survive but her own instincts. She would try to be as strong as possible and would fight without mercy but there were times where she felt over-whelmed and tired and wondered which night would be her last. And she new this was a common cycle with Harley. She knew all about her relationship with the Joker. She knew how he would constantly kick her out onto the streets and leave her wandering like a frightened kitten. But Harley was not on Catwoman's good side for 3 reasons:

1\. Harley tried to kill her

2\. Harley constantly tried to kill Batman

3\. The fact that Harley could act so high and mighty when she had the Joker to hide behind but wound up reduced to whimpering child while she was on her own was just pathetic to Catwoman. When she was Harley's age she spent most of her life fighting for herself with no one to back her put and she became one of the most notorious criminals in the whole city as a result.

-Catwoman silently scoffed as she watched Harley run away whimpering like a coward. "You don't belong in the Underworld, kid. I suggest you get out before you hurt yourself". Catwoman then lay back against the wall and rested.

-Harley rushed out of the alley and into the streets. The streets were nearly completely empty. There was an occasional passerby but by now most of the city's inhabitants had returned to their warm, safe homes while Harley was stuck wandering this lonely concrete jungle. The thought made Harley sad and she started to sob softly. The night air was quite frigate and she had no coat; she didn't even have sleeves. Harley folded her arms over her chest and walked on rubbing her forearms trying to gather even the faintest comfort of warmth. The tears running down her face burned in the freeze in wind. As Harley walked along the dark pavement she passed a young looking biker thug who seemed to be no older than her; if so 5 years at the most.

-He whistled seductively at her as she passed. "Hey baby, nice wardrobe" he said before chuckling at her. Harley averted her eyes and continued to walk forward. The thug watched her but did not try and follow.

-As Harley continued to walk another thug walked out from behind a wall, this one considerably older and much taller than the one she just passed. "Well, well, well, what have we _here"._ Harley took a step back in fear. When she backed the first biker was right behind her and she bumped into him. Harley shrieked in fear and backed up against the wall of the building that stood beside her.

-"Whoa there, babe. Take it easy", the first biker said to her calmly, "we're not gonna _bite_ ya".

-"Yeah, a couple a nice gentleman, like us, why we'd never think of doing such a thing". Then he placed a hand on Harley's head, much the same way the Joker did to her, and said rather sinisterly "We just wanna have a little _fun _and _you_ seem like someone who knows how to have good time". Harley's eyes widened in fear and a tear ran down her cheek.

MEANWHILE

-Alice drove down the dark street of Gotham in her 1988 convertible with the roof down allowing the wind to rush through her long, red hair, which helped her relax after her work. Dr. Leeland was not kidding about the inmates. She had never seen anything like the creatures that she had spent the last week getting to know during her daily sessions. The majority of these inmates didn't even seem human. That hulking brute they called "Bane" could have very easily crushed Alice between his fingers if he pleased, that desolate frozen soul who used be Victor Friez was like an unfeeling android and had the voice to match, and that strange birdman called "Penguin", though he was quite intelligent and well spoken, still resembled that of an animal in that he would swallow sardines whole, squawk like a parrot, and waddle like a penguin. There was also mention of a plant-like woman who was supposed to be held up somewhere in Arkham but Alice had yet to see her. There were a few seemingly human people but even they seemed to have the mindset of a monster. The "Riddler" had the mind of a super computer yet he seemed to relish the idea of destroying the "weak and stupid". The one called "Two-Face", from what Alice was told, used to be one of the most respected politicians in the whole city until a tragic accident turned him into the morbid creature he was now. And then there was the "Mad Hatter". He was, ironically, the easiest for Alice to communicate with. This was largely because he took and instant liking to her because her name was Alice but he would always try and get uncomfortably close to her whenever he could. Dr. Leeland had to make sure to keep watch whenever she had a session with him but even when he tried to get close to her he remained unusually tame. According to the Hatter this was mainly because he had felt severe depression upon losing his dear friend Jonathan Crane, which was the subject of most of their sessions. But as monstrous and inhuman they seemed Alice never saw them as anything other than what they truly were: human beings who had lost their way in the world. And the state of these people made giving them a new life even more crucial for Alice.

-As Alice drove her car through the night city the song "Wonderland" by Natalia Kills blared from her radio as she sang along to the lyrics: "_I'm not, not Cinderella__  
__I don't need a knight, so baby take off all your armor, You be the Beast and I'll be the Beauty, Beauty__  
__Who needs true love as long as you love me truly?__  
__I want it all, but I want you more__  
__Will you wake me up boy if I bite your poison apple?_

-Suddenly, Alice was startled by a figure as it dashed across the street right in front of her. She slammed on her breaks and quickly noticed it was a young girl running as fast as her legs would carry her and trailing her were two men. At first Alice could not tell if the woman was being chased or if all three of them were running from something. Alice immediately shut off her music. With the roof of her convertible open she heard one of the men shout, "Come back here you bitch!" This answered her question: the girl was in danger.

-Harley sprinted down the long stretch of pavement narrowly dodging traffic as she ran across the street. Her lungs were burning and she did not know how much longer she would be able to hold out. She was surprised she had been able to run for as long as she did. The bruises and marks on her body started to ach from the excess amount of strain Harley was putting on her body and she knew that soon she would tire and those thugs would have their way with her but she was determined to last as long as she could.

-Catwoman had resumed her nightly escapade, having given Batgirl the slip, and was moving silently through the dark shadows in the streets when she heard a loud scream close by. Catwoman hurried through maze of the alleyway she had been moving through to lay low from Batgirl and soon spotted Harley who had fallen to the ground across the street. 2 men were upon her shortly after and one of them grabbed her by her hair and slammed her against the wall while the other pulled out a switch-blade and held it to her throat. The ears on Catwoman's mask had been designed to give her enhanced hearing, like a jungle car, and across the street she could clearly hear the men threatening Harley if she did not give herself up to them. After a few seconds of debate Catwoman's consciences caught up to her and she knew that as much as she didn't care for Harley she would not be able to live with herself if she let a defenseless woman get violated when she could have saved her. Catwoman flicked out her claws and ran silently out of the alley ready to pounce on the 2 gangbangers but before she could make it across the street a car screeched to a halt in front of her, blocking her path.

-"Shit!" Catwoman exclaimed as she jumped back into the shadows. The 2 thugs turned around in surprise. Alice exited her vehicle; still wearing her work clothes, and shouted, "Let her go, now!"

-The two thugs looked at each other in confusion and then back to the middle aged woman who just arrived on the scene.

-"Don't make me tell you twice!" Alice shouted at the 2 thugs.

-The thugs just snickered. The tall man took a few steps toward Alice while the shorter one kept Harley pinned against the wall with the knife to her throat. "You a cop?" asked the taller one, "Show some ID and _maybe_ well consider it".

-Alice reached into one of the holes in her lab coat and pulled out a karate black belt. "How's _this_ for ID? Now leave. I'm not going to tell you again".

-The shorter thug laughed in amusement, "Oh man, this is great!" He then motioned to his partner, "Hey, what say we make this a double date. You take the super girl over there and I'll keep _this_ lovely MILF entertained" he said turning his attention back to Harley, who could only tremble with eyes wide in fear.

-"Touch her and I'll impale you through the mouth with a steal rod".

-As the taller thug began to approach Alice, Catwoman continued to watch from the shadows. "_Well this should be interesting,"_ she thought to herself.

-As the thug got within 3 feet of her he stopped and took out his own razorblade and held it out to his side. "And what will you do to me?" he asked threateningly.

-Alice did not move. She just kept direct eye contact with her opponents. After about 5 seconds she tossed her black belt into her car and fastened her long hair into a ponytail to keep the hair out of her eyes while the thug looked at her to see what move she would make. She reached into her coat again and took out a bandana with the Japanese Rising Sun flag symbol on it and wrapped it around her left hand. She then turned her gaze back to the thug and calmly responded, "Take your best shot and find out".

-The thug raised his hand and thrust it at Alice attempting to slash her but she quickly dodged the blow and caught the thug's arm and in one quick motion she slammed her elbow down on the thug's arm and it made a loud cracking noise. The thug screamed in pain and dropped the knife. Alice then kicked the thug in the stomach causing him to bend over in agony after which Alice delivered another kick to his hip right on the pelvis sending him crashing sideways to the ground.

-Catwoman and the shorter thug both stared in shock and amazement at Alice's skill. The shorter thug rushed to his partner's aid but not wanting to make the same mistake, he took out a larger knife (the shorter one was better for threatening than for killing) with a 1-foot blade and rushed at Alice while her back was turned. As if anticipating the attack Alice quickly took off her work coat in one quick motion and threw it over the second thug who slashed it as it landed over his head. The knife did not cut all the way down, as the coat engulfing his head disorienting the thug, and he started to blindly swing at the air through the rip made in the coat. Under her coat Alice wore a dark brown leather jacket, a grey under shit that showed off her mid-rift, a pair of blue jeans that were torn in several places at the thigh, a black belt subbed with small, silver spikes and a strange looking electronic device attacked to it, and a black bracelet that was also stubbed with spikes but these were bigger and pointier. As the thug began to get close to Alice she took the electronic device from her belt, aimed it at the thug, and it shot a stream of electricity at the thug. The thug flailed as the current raced through his body. After 5 seconds Alice shut the device off and the thug fell down stunned.

-Alice walked over to the thug and removed her coat from the man's head. "Bug Zapper" Alice exclaimed, "great for fending off roaches, even better for putting maggots like you in their place". She then slammed her fist into the thug's stomach causing him to role on his side in agony. Alice then backed away and said, "If I remember correctly, you 2 were just leaving, right?" The 2 thugs rushed to their feet and ran off as fast as they could. Catwoman looked on from the shadows with her mouth wide open in an amazed smile. She was about to walk out and congratulate Alice but was cut off again by the arrival of Batgirl as she swooped onto the scene from the sky. "God dammit!" Catwoman irritably whispered to herself.

-Alice turned around surprised by the sudden appearance of the masked heroine and took a fighting stance incase she had to defend herself again.

-"Hey! Take it easy, I'm here to help" Batgirl exclaimed.

-Alice eased up a bit but still kept a defensive stance incase she needed to fight. "Who are you", she asked both suspicious and confused at the same time.

-"I'm Batgirl"

-Alice looked at the strange, young woman before her. She studied her dark outfit complete with a black cowl, rubber gloves, black combat boots, flowing red hair, and the yellow symbol of a bat on her chest.

-"What kind of help?" Alice asked.

-"Well, I heard screaming coming from somewhere around here along with what sounded like a like a fight breaking out. Are you okay".

-Alice eased up. If this strange girl were going to try and hurt her she would not have shown concern; in fact they'd probably be fighting right now. "Yes" Alice said calmly, "there was a small inconvenience but it's been resolved. What exactly are you doing, if you don't mind me asking?"

-"I'm guessing you're not from around here?" Batgirl asked.

-"No, actually I just transferred here about a week ago. I was told this city had quite a few strange characters running around, no offense".

-"None taken. Well, I'm Batgirl. I guess you could say I'm part of a secret night patrol police force. I help protect the city from the _bad_strange characters".

-"I see, and how do you do that?"

-"Well…I patrol the city and if anyone, or anything, is causing trouble I deal with them personally". Catwoman scoffed to herself at this remark. Alice started to grow a bit suspicious.

-"Well, I can assure you the problem has been dealt with but if you still want to help-"

-Batgirl turned her head and she noticed the young, terrified girl on the ground with her face buried in her knees.

-"Oh God, is she okay?"

-"I was just about to ask her the same thing. Some creeps pulled a knife on her and I fought them off. That's what the commotion you heard was."

-Alice turned to the young girl and slowly walked over to her. When she reached her she knelt down beside her and placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. "Hey honey, are you hurt?" The girl didn't respond but as Alice continued to look at the girl she almost instantly noticed the bruises covering her body. Her eyes widened and her mouth opened in shock. "Jesus", Alice whispered, "Did those men do this to you?" Still the girl remained silent. "Do you need to see a doctor?" This time Harley mewled while shaking her head while her face remained buried in her knees.

-Batgirl approached them. "Poor thing's scared to death" she said to Alice. Batgirl knelt down beside the girl. "It's alright, you're safe. We're not gonna hurt you. We want to help you. Why don't you look at us?" Batgirl placed hand on Harley's head, which by now she had come to associate with someone about to attack her. She shot up her head, eyes wide with fear. Now able to see her face Batgirl suddenly realized who the girls was. "Harley?!"

-Harley scrambled to her feet and started to run. She didn't get far; Batgirl was upon her after about 15 feet. She grabbed Harley by the shoulder and tried to hold her steady as she struggled to get away. "Harley, calm down!"

-"Leave me alone!" Harley shouted.

-"Not until you tell me where the Joker's hiding".

-"I don't know, now just go away!"

-Batgirl pinned Harley against the wall, "Bullshit! Listen to me; I will let you go if you tell me where he is. Lying is not going to-"

-Batgirl was cutoff by a sudden jolt of electricity. She fell to her knees screaming in pain. Harley looked toward the direction the shockwave came and saw Alice clutching the machine she used on the gangbanger. Harley ran toward Alice and hid behind her.

-"What the hell do you think you're doing?!" Batgirl shouted at Alice as she got back her feet.

-"I'm protecting a defenseless, injured human being from a crazed masked lunatic that's what" Alice said to her still aiming the Bug Zapper at Batgirl in case she tried to attack Harley again.

-"That 'defenseless human being' is dangerous! She's harboring the most deadly criminal in this entire city! Now get out of my way or I'll lock you up with her!"

-Alice chuckled. "So this is how you 'handle' protecting the city? Just throw on a costume, call yourself a 'hero', and then just assume that gives you the right to do what ever the hell you want because you think it's justified?"

-"Lady, are you deaf? I just said that woman is dangerous!"

-"I don't care!" Alice snapped at her, "She's not a threat right now and I have no way of knowing if _you're_ as dangerous as you're making her out to be. If you want me to stand down then show me a badge or an ID. Give me some documented proof that you have the authority to take this girl into custody and I'll stand aside"

-"How do I know _you're_ not the dangerous one. I already know who dangerous that woman behind you is and all I know about you is that you're taking her side. For all I know you could be working with her. So _you_ show _me_ some ID first. Because, guess what lady, the police in this city are on _my_ side and I have higher connections I can contact if things get out of hand. So why don't you show me something that warrants you carrying around a giant teaser and beating up street crooks."

-Alice smirked at her. "Gladly" she said. Alice picked up her work coat from off the ground, took out her ID, and held it in front of Batgirl. "See? Right here: Dr. Alice Johnson. I'm a licensed doctor at Arkham who works with dangerous criminals. I strive to protect innocent people too and that includes the asylum inmates because from what I've seen, especially from the ones at Arkham, they are all victims too. And what you're doing is making things worse. Did it ever occur to you that by singling these people out with no legal right to do so you're just strengthening their belief that the world is against them and in doing so you entice them to keep lashing out at innocent people?"

-"Listen to me Alice, that person right behind you is not a victim. She's working for the most evil human being on the face of the planet. I'm talking about a man who loves watching things burn, explode, and die because it's all one big joke to him. She knows where he's hiding and the longer you stand in my way the more lives you're possibly putting at risk"

-"I already told you how to get me to stand aside and yet you still haven't done it. So, how about it? If it's really that serious then stop risking people's lives and show me some ID and she's all yours".

-"Alright that's it!" Batgirl reached for her batarang with the intent of disarming Alice of her teaser then bringing _both_of them in, Alice for interfering and risking innocent lives even after being told the consequences and Harley for reason already explained. However, before she could reach her belt Batgirl heard a loud, cracking noise followed by a sharp, stinging pain on her ass.

-"OW!" Batgirl screamed and spun around to see Catwoman standing behind her smiling with her whip in hand.

-"Hello kitty" she purred to Batgirl while winking at her. Batgirl looked down and saw that Catwoman's whip had ripped a hole in the rear end of Batgirl's pants exposing her "Hello Kitty" underwear. "EEK!" Batgirl shrieked and covered her butt with her hands as her face flushed red with anger and embarrassment. Alice laughed in amusement.

-"Well, hero, you gonna catch a real criminal or are you gonna let me get away so you can harass an alleged criminal?" Catwoman asked Batgirl.

-Batgirl turned toward Alice. "This isn't over" she assured her. She then started for Catwoman who had already started making her get away leaving Alice alone with an exhausted Harley clinging to her waist.


	6. Chapter 6: Friends and Strangers

_Nightmare in Arkham_

Chapter 6: Friends and Strangers

_DEAR READERS: I realize that Freddy has not been present for the majority of the chapters but I assure you that's because I have something big planned for later on in the story. For those of you who are fans of the Elm Street movies you have probably figured out who Alice really is but I still want to let the other readers figure it out for themselves. So just sit tight, for the best is yet to come._

-After a lengthy chase Catwoman finally eluded Batgirl. The two women raced through the city like a cat and mouse, just like Catwoman wanted (if only it was Batman pursuing her). Catwoman was eventually able to throw Batgirl off her trail when she snuck away off of the streets of Gotham and into the thick clutter of trees that littered Robinson Park. Robinson Park was located Between South and Central Gotham in a part of town that no one dared venture alone (the perfect place to make an escape). Once inside the desolate forest, Catwoman prowled through the trees and foliage until she came to what appeared to be a giant mound of vines meshed together creating some sort of giant barricade. The vines were riddled with thorns that were at least two inches long and some of them were covered in dry blood; probably from animals that were foolish enough to seek shelter in the massive barbed fence. At first glance the mound did not seem too out of place in this dead, spooky jungle but, upon closer inspection, Catwoman saw that the mound appeared to be hiding something inside.

-As Catwoman approached the mound and tried to peer through the small openings in the vines she felt something tightly constrict her leg directly over her wound.

-"AAH!" Catwoman screamed in both pain and surprise. Her first thought was that Batgirl had found her. Her second thought was that a snake had bitten her. She soon found out it was neither of the above. When she looked down Catwoman saw that her leg had been ensnared in a plant root, which then erupted out of the ground hoisting Catwoman in the air upside-down.

-"Hey! What? What the hell's going on?!" Catwoman shouted and began to frantically slash at the root with her claws.

-"_That's right keep struggling, you're only exciting it."_ A deep, seductive, yet very soothing, motherly voice said somewhere close by. Catwoman stopped struggling and looked in front of her. Standing directly in front of Catwoman less than a foot from her face was the lime green, emerald face of a young woman in her early-mid 30s. The woman was practically naked, save for a dark, crimson red tank top with a blue out line, which she wore with only 2 buttons joining it together at the chest so that her boobs remained concealed and a patch of leaves covering her junk. Her stomach, arms, legs, breasts, neck, and cheeks were lined with green tendrils that looked like blood-filled veins running the length of her emerald colored body with leaves sprouting from the tips. The woman had a ruby red lips and a mass of lush, red hair the shade of a fresh spring rose and her eyes glowed an eerie green color making her look like and alien life form. There was no conviction of whose angry, inhuman eyes Catwoman was starring into.

-"Oh, um, hey Ivy". Catwoman said nervously.

-"That's _Poison_ Ivy to you" she said sternly to her captor. "You have some nerve Selina".

-"Okay that's 'Catwoman' to you"

-"Shut up! Give me one good reason why I shouldn't turn you into mulch."

-Catwoman was undeterred by Poison Ivy's threats. "Ya know", Catwoman purred, "from this angle your kinda cute"

-"Gee thanks", Poison Ivy replied sarcastically, "then let me give you a big kiss"

-Poison Ivy placed both her hands on either side of Catwoman's head and lowered her face in to give Catwoman a nice poison smooch that would leave her dead in a matter of minutes.

-Catwoman shot her hand in between her face and Ivy's lips. "Whoa! Whoa! I was just kidding!"

-"I wasn't. What are you doing here? You come to hurt my babies?"

-"Why would I want to do that?"

-"Why else would you have snuck onto my property?"

-"How the hell could I have known you were hiding here? Up until just now I was under the impression you were inside of Arcade or whatever that place is called?"

-"You mean _Arkham?" _Poison Ivy asked angrily, "I busted out. Ya know, after you ratted me to Batman?"

-"Refresh my mind: was that _before_ or _after_ you and Harley tried to kill me?"

-"Oh like we were the first people to try and send you to the Great Litter Box in the Sky. Now why are you here?" Poison Ivy angrily asked raising her voice.

-"Shhh! Keep you're voice down!" Catwoman whispered.

-Poison Ivy grabbed Catwoman hard by the back of her neck. "Why are you _here?!"_ She asked quieter but just as angrily.

-"I was hiding from Batgirl, now would please tell your 'baby' to let go of my leg? It's squeezing a scar and it hurts like hell."

-Poison Ivy stood silently for a moment with a stunned look on her face. She looked back at Catwoman in disbelief then to her plant. Poison Ivy then made a gesture in the form of her pointing her finger to the ground in stabbing kind of motion. Catwoman thought she was telling the plant to put her down. The plant started to lower Catwoman.

-"Thanks Iv-", before Catwoman could finish she was dealt a violent blow to the side of her head.

-"You brought Batman to my lair?!" Poison Ivy snapped.

-"No I said 'Batgirl'. And I-"

-"What the hell difference does it make? She'll call Batman, and he'll come and they'll take me away, and all my babies will be taken away so those disgusting pigs can experiment on them, and that's if they don't destroy them!" Poison Ivy said growing more and more frantic with every sentence.

-"Calm down, Ivy-"

-"NO! I _won't_ calm down. You've endangered the welfare of my children. And now I am going to _kill_ you. Batman can have whatever's left of you to take home and fuck. I know he's got thing for you."

-"Whoa! Okay, that is _none_ of your business. And _no,_ I didn't say I brought _anyone_ here I said 'I was _hiding_ from her. And I would have thought you'd be a little more grateful since I voluntarily put her on my tail to get her off of Harley's."

-Poison Ivy was about to scream at Catwoman again but stopped before she had a chance to begin. She stood frozen in mute silence while Catwoman's words registered in her brain. "Come again?" Poison Ivy finally said with a tone of disbelief.

-"Yeah, I saved Harley. Two gangbangers were about to rape her then all of sudden this freaking badass chick comes in and beats the crap of out them using nothing but a lab coat and a bug zapper but then Batgirl came and she was like 'Harley, you're under arrest' but the chick was like 'No she's not' and I was like 'Hello Kitty!' and I made Batgirl chase me so she'd leave that woman, and Harley, alone". Catwoman finished with an innocent smile on her face.

-Poison Ivy just stood silently in both shock and confusion. Her mouth hung open and she would turn her head every 5 seconds trying to piece together the bewildering story Catwoman just spilled out to her. "You're welcome…" Catwoman exclaimed.

-After a few more seconds Poison Ivy finally spoke. "Are you saying Harley's been thrown out onto the streets by that bastard clown again?"

-"Sure looked like it. She looked like she'd been outdoors for quite some time too. From what I saw it must have been about a week since she last saw a bathtub".

-Poison Ivy cringed at the thought then continued. "And you're saying _someone else_ has her now?"

-"Yeeeeeup".

-"Who_?"_

-"I don't know. I think she said she was some new girl from Arkham. Did you guys get any new employees re-"

-"WHAT?!" Poison Ivy burst out angrily, "You let one of those hell doctors from Arkham take her away?!"

-"Okay, she was_ not_ a 'hell doctor'. If you had been there you would have loved this woman. In fact, if all the doctors at Arkham are anything like this one I just might check myself in. Quite a few people have told me I'd fit right in. It used to hurt my feelings but now I'm glad for the reassurance".

-Poison Ivy grabbed Catwoman by one of her ears and jerked her head up so she'd see the anger in her glowing green eyes. "Hey! Hey! Watch the ears!" Catwoman protested.

-"And _how_, exactly, did you save her?" Poison Ivy asked angrily.

-"I lured Batman's goon away from her…"

-"So instead of having Batman take her to Arkham you just let Arkham come and take her".

-"Hey, Harley looked like she wanted to go with the woman. And who could blame her? I mean, the woman was like combination of Bruce Lee and Dirty Harry".

-Poison Ivy motioned her plant to drop Catwoman, which it did, and then she grabbed Catwoman by the ear and pulled her to her feet and started to drag her toward a bush.

-"Hey! Hey! Easy!", Catwoman protested.

-When they reached a bush Poison Ivy grabbed a hold of it and it was revealed to be a decoy bush that hid a pink convertible with a license that read "ROSE BUD". Ivy released Catwoman's ear.

-"Get in", she ordered.

-"Why?"

-"You're going to help me save Harley"

-"Um Ivy, I think you should know-"

-Poison Ivy grabbed Catwoman by both sides of her collar and angrily proclaimed, "Listen you, you're the reason she's in danger. You took her out of the frying pan and threw her straight in the fire. If anything happens to her, so help me I will make you beg for me to end all 9 of your lives. Got it?"

-Catwoman shrugged "If you say so".

-"Good. Now get it."

-"I call shotgun!"

-The 2 women entered the vehicle and Poison Ivy sped through the woods until she came to a path that ran right through the park and into the city.

_MEANWHILE…_

-Alice sat on the dark sidewalk next to Harley, who was still in a dazed start. Harley seemed aware of her surroundings but Alice did not want to leave her alone shaken as she was. As they sat in silence Alice decided to light a smoke. She took out a fag and placed it firmly between her lips. Then she took out a small, sliver Zippos lighter, sparked the flame with one flick of her thumb, lit the end of her cigarette and then in-hailed for a few seconds before breathing out a thick cloud of fumes. Then she turned to Harley. Whether or not she smoked was anyone's guess but experiencing something as traumatic as being attacked by 3 people would be enough for anyone to seek any sort of comfort available. She offered the cigarette, which still hard a bright, orange ember burning at the tip. Harley did not look at her but she slowly shook her head. Alice took another long drag.

-Harley did not know what to say or think. This stranger was the only company she had in the past few days. She had longed for someone by her side and now that she had her wish she couldn't even muster enough courage to talk to her. Had she even thanked her for saving her life? Harley felt that was the least she could say to her.

But, before she could form the words, she was startled by a pink car bounding right past them down the road going at least 90 mph. Alice choked and coughed out puffs of smoke. "Jesus Christ! Is nobody sane in this city?" She asked out loud.

-Alice glanced to her left and noticed Harley looking at her for the first time. She looked like she was trying to say something to her. Alice smiled at her "Penny for your thoughts?"

-Having been cut off before having a chance to speak hindered Harley and she had trouble forming the words again. _Come on Harley; just tell her "Thank you for saving me". What's so hard about that? Usually people have to tape your mouth shut to get you to stop talking. She obviously wants you to have a conversation. And how many people would go out of their way to talk to a worthless freak like you? Just tell her…_"Are you going to throw me in Arkham?" She asked sheepishly. _Dammit Harley! You can't do anything right!_

-Taking her eyes off of Harley, Alice snickered at the remark. "No. I only deal with people already on the inside of Arkham. I don't go around looking for people to-" Alice was cut off when she looked back at Harley and noticed she was trying to fight back tears. Alice's smile faded and she moved closer to Harley. "Hey. What's the matter?"

-"I messed up again" Harley said with a cracked, hurt voice, "I spent the past 30 minutes trying to find the best way tell you 'thank you for saving me' but I messed up", Harley paused and sniffled "This is why my Puddin threw me out in the first place", now tears began to roll down Harley's face "I never learn. I can't do anything right". Harley then started to weep softly.

-Alice's mouth hung open in disbelief of Harley's words. She placed her hands gently on Harley's shoulder. "Hey. Hey. Don't cry sweetheart. You didn't have to thank me; I'm just glad I was able to keep you out of harms way".

-Harley slowly turned her head until her tear stained face was in front of Alice's. Alice removed one of her hands from Harley's shoulders and gently wiped the tears from Harley's face while also making an effort to clear some of the mascara that had caked her cheeks. The only person to ever show Harley this kind of affection was Poison Ivy, or "Red" as she commonly referred to her, and after being denied the chance to rekindle that love from her and spending 7 long, miserable, sleepless days and nights on the streets alone this complete stranger not only saved her from both Batgirl and 2 perverts but was now giving Harley the affection that she had long been denied since childhood after her father left her with her single mother, even after Batgirl had stated that she was dangerous.

-In one quick motion Harley encircled her arms around Alice's torso just under her armpits and constricted her body tightly, her chin resting on her shoulder. At first Alice was surprised; not by Harley grabbing her but by how quickly she did it. It only took a second for her mind to register the action before she returned the embrace. But instead of squeezing Harley she simple wrapped her arms around her and started rubbing one of her hands down her back. When she did so she felt that Harley was quivering. This was not due to one single emotion but several: the mixture of sadness, relief, fear, and happiness coupled with the chill from the night air had started to send rapid shivers through Harley's body. Alice tightened her grip on Harley hoping to ease her down.

-"It's okay. No one's gonna hurt you anymore" Alice whispered softly in Harley's ear. Her voice relaxed Harley a little and she started to calm down. Suddenly, Alice and Harley both heard a low, booming sound from above. Alice looked up and saw that a thick rain cloud was forming overhead. A second later she felt a drop of water sprinkle on her nose.

-"Come on" Alice said easing Harley to her feet. Alice carried Harley with her arm over her shoulder to the passenger side of her car and eased her into the seat. Harley laid back into the soft leather and began to drift off. When she opened her eyes she saw for an instant she was not in the car but in a dark, red-lighted room. A hand grabbed Harley by the arm and a male voice from behind said "_We're home Harley!"_

-Harley sprung awake gasping and found herself back in the car, which now had the roof raised while heavy drops of rain battered against the windshield. Alice was grasping her arm. "Where's home, Harley? That is your name right, Harley?" She asked.

-"Oh, yeah, um…I guess you can drop me off at any of the old warehouses around the city. I hear they're actually quite cozy, even in weather like this".

-"No. I'm not leaving you on the street. You don't have any place to stay?"

-"We'll maybe my Puddin's forgiven me by now. I'm sure he's really, really worried about me. He usually lets me back in after a few days so maybe-"

-"_Usually_? You mean this isn't the first time he's done this to you? Harley…I think you should stay with me tonight."

-"Oh, no. I don't want to be a burden. I stink, I snore at night, I have terrible nightmares, I mess up all the time, I'm loud, I never shut up, I'm not good at following directions, I touch everything I see, and-"

-"It's either that or I bring you to the hospital", Alice said sternly, "I can see the bruises on your body and your fatigue. The only reason I haven't brought you there already is because you seem to be able to function relatively well at the moment. But I am _not_ leaving you anywhere where your condition will worsen".

-"No! Please! Anything but the hospital! I can't stand needles! They're so pointy, and pokey, and stabby, and stingy, and ouchy, and they make me all fainty, and-"

-Alice started snickering again, cutting Harley off. "You are _so_ funny. Ya know that?" Harley frowned and made a sound like a whimpering puppy. "Oh come on. That was a compliment." Harley then smiled and let out a short, tiny squeal. Alice smiled at her.

-"Look Harley, just come with me, take a hot bath, rest up, and I'll help you get back on your feet tomorrow"

-Harley's heart melted. Never had a complete stranger ever showed her this kind of selfless generosity, nor had she ever thought she was deserving of such kindness. And yet this wonderful, beautiful human being sat before her with arms wide-open acting as a savior when her friend could not. "Thank you Alice" Harley exclaimed, "You're welcome" Alice responded._ Perfect Harley, perfect!_.

_MEANWHILE…_

-Poison Ivy and Catwoman had successfully infiltrated Arkham Asylum. It was actually one of the easiest break-ins either of the 2 femme fatales had ever done. Poison Ivy's inside out knowledge of the building ensured that neither of them would make a wrong turn and wind up in a trap and her seductive powers brought the male guards to their knees. The female guards, on the other hand, were a different story, for Ivy's pheromones were not as effective against the low testosterone women. That's where Catwoman came in: Catwoman stayed in the shadows and acted as a sort of guard for Ivy and when her powers proved to be ineffectual she would pounce on the guard and subdue them. They used this tactic until the reached the cell-block. There, Poison Ivy seduced one of the male guards into giving her his key to the cells.

-"So, which one of these cells is Harley's?" Catwoman asked.

-"That one over there", Poison Ivy responded pointing to a cell at the far end of the hall.

-"How can you tell? This room's so dark _I _can't even see the insides of the cells."

-"You also don't know this building like I do. Harley usually gets assigned the cell right next to mine. That way she can talk to me and sit right across from…from…"

-"The Joker?"

-Poison Ivy cringed, "Never say that bastard's name around me".

-Catwoman smirked. "So I'm guessing that's your cell over there?" Catwoman asked pointing a glass door cell where she could just make out the outlines of dozens of plants littering the cell.

-"Very observant," Poison Ivy commented sarcastically, "Good to see those barbarians haven't thrown out my babies yet. No doubt they were waiting for Batman to catch me again so they could wait to tell me just as I walked in that they killed my children. Those filthy, disgusting-"

-"Okay, I get the picture: people are jerks. Now can we just rescue Harley and get out of here before those of guards we just took out wake up and swarm us like an army of ants?"

-Poison Ivy snapped out of her angry rant. "Oh right, you have the key?"

-Catwoman held up a small card that served as both and ID and a key for opening and closing cells. The 2 women quietly approached the cell, careful not to wake up any of the other inmates who might rat them out or demand that they set them free as well. The inside of the cell was completely dark, as it had no window and the lights in the hall had been shut off and the windows in the hall had been blocked out by the rain clouds. Poison Ivy hated the thought of Harley being trapped in here alone without her, for she was terrified of the dark.

-Poison Ivy gently tapped on the glass. "Harley" she whispered, "Hey Harley, it's Red. Rise and shine honey, I'm here to take you home". There was no reply.

-"Maybe she doesn't _want_ to leave," Catwoman chuckled. Poison Ivy shot her a glare. "Okay, fine. Here, I'll open the cell and you can wake her up." Catwoman slid the key through a narrow slot on a panel right next to the cell and after some lights flashed on the panel the glass slowly rose and the cell opened.

-Poison Ivy stepped inside and slowly approached the bed. "Harley, it's time to wake up. We have to go now. You're safe with Red now". When Poison Ivy reached the bed and placed an arm on top of it expecting to feel Harley snoozing in deep sleep she felt only the empty mattress. But by then, it was too late.

-Catwoman quickly slid the key back through the panel and the cell door shut almost instantly (the cells opened slowly and closed quickly in the event that an inmate tried to rush a guard that opened the cell) and Ivy was trapped. She angrily ran to the glass.

-"Hey! What the hell?! Where's Harley?!"

-Catwoman leered at Poison Ivy. "If you'd have listened to me back at the park you would have known: the doctor didn't take Harley back here. She tried to protect Harley from Batgirl who tried to throw her back in Arkham and when she was about to take both of them in I lured her away from them. Mind you, whatever she did with Harley _afterward _is anyone's guess".

-Poison Ivy was dumb-founded. Catwoman held something up in front of her and Ivy soon realized she had the key to her car. Catwoman wickedly smiled at her and waved goodbye before leaping to one of the windows and making her escape.

-With every ounce of rage within her, Poison Ivy shouted as a bolt of lightening erupted outside of the building "YOU LITTLE BIIIIIIIIITCH!"


	7. Chapter 7A: Victims-Part 1

_Nightmare in Arkham_

Chapter 7 A: Victims (Part 1)

-"Why didn't you call me?" Batman asked sternly.

-"Because I thought I could handle it" Barbara responded defensively, "I would have had them if Catwoman hadn't bushwhacked me".

-"And yet you managed to lose_ her_ as well".

-"Hey come on, Bruce," Dick chimed in, "It was an honest mistake. I probably would have done the same thing."

-"That is inexcusable" Batman retorted, "As the protectors of the city you need to be able to think on your feet instead of making rash decisions and jumping into confrontation on your own. That's how you underestimate your opponent, as you've clearly demonstrated" Batman said turning an eye to Barbara.

-Barbara looked away feeling hurt, embarrassed, frustrated, and ashamed. She knew Batman was right. She had been doing fine protecting the city up until tonight and after all that time she allowed herself to be toyed with by Catwoman and out gunned by a rookie Arkham doctor. She could not muster any confidence to look her boss in the face.

-Batman walked over to Barbara and placed a hand on her shoulder, "Remember what you told me your worst fear was, Barbara?" Batman asked calmly.

-"Of course: that I would die before my dad ever found out about us. I could never forgive myself if he turned on you because of me".

-"And that's understandable. But what I'm trying to make you realize is that acting on impulses in a line of work like this can very easily turn that fear into a reality. But the plus side is that's something that can also be avoided, so long as you follow my instructions" Batman stated without any frustration or sympathy.

-"Yes sir," Barbara responded.

-"Good. You're both free to go. Get some rest and we'll deal with Catwoman and this Arkham doctor later".

-Barbara and Dick both nodded and headed up the stone staircase that led out of the Batcave and up to Wayne Manor. As they reached the top, the door opened and Alfred stepped in after them. As Barbara and Dick started walking away from the door, Alfred heard Robin say to Barbara "_Hey don't sweat it. You know Bruce: he likes playing the protective parent._"

-Alfred started down the staircase. "Was I late for another disciplinary lecture?" Alfred asked in his usual sophisticated, laid back tone.

-"More or less," Batman replied, "From what Barbara's told me, it sounds like our newest Arkham intern has a some what temperamental side."

-"Oh?"

-Batman walked over to the Bat-computer and pulled up a file containing Alice's background. On the cover was a picture of Alice in her mid 30s-early 40s.

-"It says she's from a town in Ohio called Springwood. She developed psychological trauma in early adulthood after the death of her friends and 3 family members, which led to extreme bouts of anger. She did some time for a series of assault and battery charges in her late 20s-early before self-counseling herself. She's has a black belt in taijutsu and karate and specializes in post-traumatic stress, depression, anger, addiction, and early age trauma".

-"My, my; that's quite an impressive work ethic".

-"That's what worries me. Based on Barbara's story it seems like she's already made the same mistake as Harley".

-"And that would be?"

-"Charging in to defend the wrong person whom she assumes is the victim. If she has a record with so much violence and psychological trauma I can't even imagine how much greater a threat she could become than Harley. And who better to trick her than the victim of the same manipulation?"

-Alfred and Batman stared at Alice's photo. She was smiling in the picture, but just underneath it, Batman could see anger, resentment, and pain shining in her eyes like a beam from a lighthouse. She looked like she was masking her anger with a smile and was ready to kill anyone who dared cross her.

-"I see your point sir," Alfred said, "I suppose it would take a victim to create a victim."

_LATER THAT NIGHT…_

-Barbara had returned to campus. She had decided to blow off some steam by doing some gymnastics in the campus gymnasium. She had not been able to think clearly all night due to her run in with Alice and Batman's words. Dick Grayson sat close by in the bleachers watching her flip through the air on the horizontal bar before leaping off into frontal and horizontal somersaults 42 feet off the ground and sticking a perfect landing. She had been at this for almost and hour now and her body was covered in sweat that started to seep through her leotard.

-"Aren't you the least bit tired yet?" Dick asked.

-"Are you kidding? I feel like I could do this for 2 weeks straight". Barbara responded.

-"B-Man got to ya that much, huh?"

-"It's not just that. It's that Alice woman. She had to at least have been in her late 40s and yet she managed to take out 2 thugs and get the drop on me. And on top of that she's probably housing Harley as a pet even as we speak".

-"So?"

-"So, I've advanced physically far beyond any girl my age in this city and I end up losing to one more than twice my age and I let 2 criminals get away".

-"Hey, come on Babs-"

-"Dick, please", Barbara interrupted agitated.

-"Sorry Barbara, I'm just saying we all have our off days. Hell, I've probably underestimated more of my opponents in one week. You've only underestimated one, as far as I know".

-"I know, I guess Bruce's fear of failure is starting rub off on me".

-"I don't think it's fear of failure" Dick responded questionably.

-Barbara lowered her head with a worried look on her face.

-Dick placed a hand on her shoulder. "Don't worry. You and I have done this for long time now. As long as we have Bruce I don't think either of us have to worry about ourselves. He's never steered us wrong before".

-"Yeah, I guess" Barbara said as she looked up at Dick and smiled. Their lips met and they kissed for a solid 30 seconds.

-"You ready to head back?" Dick asked.

-Barbara paused for a moment, reluctantly. "I…no" she finally said "You can head back if you want, I might be here for a while".

-"You seem to be trying to dodge sleep quite a lot lately. Is something else wrong?" Dick asked, curious.

-"Well, it's just that…for the past few days I've been having these really strange dreams. At first they didn't seem too out of the ordinary but they just keep getting worse and worse every time I fall asleep".

-"What about?" Dick asked giving Barbara his undivided attention.

-"Well, at first they started out with a little girl dressed in white just showing up out of no where. She just stood there like a statue while I tried to talk to her and then, eventually, she told me 'he's coming for you Barbara'. Then she just ran off giggling".

-"And then what?"

-"That was it for that dream. But in the dreams that followed more and more children started showing up. I would see them skipping rope or throwing a ball and they all started singing this very odd, and very disturbing, nursery rhyme about someone coming for me and that I need to 'never sleep again'."

-"Who's 'coming for you'?"

-"They _did_ give a name". Barbara paused, trying to remember.

-"I think it was…Frankie, or Freddy or something along those lines. Then I hear this deep, demonic voice telling me 'Send the message'. It's gotten to the point now where it's actually starting to scare me a little".

-"Why haven't you told anyone about this?"

-"Well, this is kinda silly but… I didn't want to listen to the dreams. I thought if I just ignored the dreams and didn't say a word to anyone they would just go away but they keep coming back. And the next dream is always creepier than the previous".

-"Sounds to me like you're working yourself to the brink of insanity", Dick responded

-"Gee, thanks", Barbara responded sarcastically.

-"No, seriously Barb. Give yourself a break. You're probably having these nightmares because you keep riling yourself up".

-Barbara was about to say something but stopped. "Maybe you're right", Barbara responded.

-"If you want…", Dick said seductively, "I'll sleep with you tonight. Ya know, in case you get scared".

-"Oh yeah?", Barbara asked hinting interest, "You sure you wouldn't mind the snoring and talking in my sleep?"

-"You should hear _me_ when I sleep" Dick responded.

-"Weeeell…" Barbara pondered.

-10 minutes later Dick and Barbara were lying in a bed in one of the dorms. Dick was on top of Barbara, shirtless, and Barbara had her arms tightly wrapped around Dick's muscular frame as they locked lips and shifted their bodies in response to the vigorous movement of each other's bodies on top of one another. After an intensified make-out session the lovers broke their embrace painting heavily.

-"Wow!", Barbara exclaimed as she breathed heavily, "did they teach you that in the circus or was that just a natural talent?"

-"I learned it from _you"_.

-Barbara chuckled at the remark and playfully hit Dick on the side of the head. "You are such a goofball".

-"And hey," Dick continued, "Don't feel too embarrassed about the Hello Kitty underwear thing with Catwoman. I actually think they look really sexy on you".

-Barbara smiled with her mouth closed at Dick. Without breaking eye contact she reached under the covers, pulled the underwear out, and tossed them over Dick's head.

-"Sorry Dick, I can't really say the same thing about you".

-They both laughed and after a moment of silence Dick asked, "So, you feeling better now".

-"Probably the best I've felt in a long time," she said as she snuggled over Dick, her right arm crossed over his abdomen. Dick placed his right arm over Barbara's shoulders and she lifted her head and rested it on his forearm as he edged her closer. They stayed that way for about 10 minutes before Dick felt the need to use the restroom. The dorm that Barbara stayed in did not have individual bathrooms but one public restroom in the hallway. He slowly got up from the bed and kissed Barbara on the side of her cheek before exiting the room in nothing but a pair of boxer shorts.

-Barbara was completely relaxed as she lay on her mattress facing the wall. She did not even realize Dick had left the room, for her eyes were closed and she had begun to drift off. Suddenly, the sound of scraping filled the air in the room. Barbara did not open her eyes immediately thinking the noise would go away; it didn't. She slowly opened her eyes and saw that a message was somehow carving itself on her wall right in front of her face. Barbara sprung awake and sat up. When the scraping ceased it had spelled out "SPREAD THE MESSAGE".

-"Oh no, not again!" Barbara said with fear in her voice. As she rose off of her bed she was startled by a tiny voice "Hi".

-Barbara spun around with a startled scream and saw a little girl in a white dress with long blonde hair tied up in a ponytail.

-"Who are you?!" Barbara demanded. She had had enough of these ridiculous run ins with the little girl. The little girl started crying. Barbara thought she had snapped at her too harshly.

-"I'm sorry" she said calmer, "I didn't mean to snap. I just want to know what's going on". The girl covered her eyes and continued to sob. Large tear droplets rolled off her cheeks and onto the floor. "Please don't cry. I didn't mean to yell at you. Please, look at me" Barbara pleaded as she stooped to her knees so she could talk to the little girl down on her level. The girl removed her hands and Barbara was horrified to see that the girl's eyeballs were now removed from her skull. As she backed away in horror blood spilled from the girl's eyes and gathered in a large puddle around her feet. The little girl, still crying, melted into the puddle as if she were standing in a giant pool of acid. As Barbara looked on the puddle suddenly began to slither out of the room. Barbara quickly rose to her feet and chased it to the door.

-The puddle slithered under the closed door into the hall and when Barbara opened the door her surroundings had changed completely. She was still in the dorm but it seemed as if it had been abandoned for 30 years. A single dim light that flickered from a weak circuit lighted the hallway, the walls were all cracked and covered in mold and graffiti and some of them had giant holes in them. There were puddles of water on the floor and water dripping from the ceiling making tiny droplet noises when they fell. All of the doors to the rooms in the hallway were either missing, broken, or hanging off by the hinges and there was not a single, solitary one in any of the rooms.

-Barbara felt vulnerable, even scared. She had no idea where she was and was wandering these decrepit surroundings alone and almost completely naked. Barbara turned back to her room but was shocked to see that now it was just as ruined as the rest of the building.

-"Dick! Anyone! Where are you?!" Barbara's screams echoed through the halls but the only sound that responded was the dripping from the ceiling and the spark buzz from the dim light. Barbara began to slowly make her way down the halls, her eyes wandering in every direction. As Barbara neared the end of the hall, she stopped right under the light and slowly turned to one of the walls. On the wall was a series of crude drawings that looked like children had done them. They showed a man engulfed flames, a dead cat with 4 bloody scratches down one side of its body, a little blonde girl crying blood, and a frightened girl with long red hair starring at the person looking at the picture. Upon closer inspection Barbara noticed that these 4 drawing were taped to the wall right next to a piece of graffiti. The drawings had been placed right below 4 dripping streams of blood that were falling off of the fingers of a hand with knife like tips and the hand was attached to the red and green arm of a silhouetted figure painted as a shadow on the wall.

-As Barbara began to walk away the shadow on the wall leaned out behind her and watched her walk away. Barbara did not notice it. As she continued to walk through the dark hallway she began to hear very low, faint voices from far away. It was hard to make them out but they sounded like children singing. But as she listened the singing grew louder: _"__7, 8 __Better stay up late, __ 9, 10 __Never sleep again. __1, 2 Freddy's coming for you"_. The voices sounded like they were just around the next corner now. Barbara was frozen with fear. She could not move or speak and so she decided to wait until whatever the source of the noise was turned the corner while she stayed hidden in the shadows.

-Right behind Barbara, a low, male voice whispered directly into her ear "_Bo_". Before Barbara even had a chance to scream a giant pool of blood came rushing down the hallway like a river that had overflown its banks. The blood pool carried what sounded like a million screams coming from children which grew louder as the river raced toward Barbara threatening to drown her. Barbara screamed and sprinted to the far end of the hall. Barbara turned a corner hoping to make it to the stairs before the rapid blood swept her away but as Barbara's foot struck the floor it sunk into it like quicksand. Barbara pulled her foot free but when she placed her foot on the ground again it sunk even deeper, this time up to her knee. The more Barbara struggled the deeper she sank into the loose ground. As Barbara frantically tried to free herself the blood river crashed into the wall and swept over her. Under the pool Barbara felt that her lower body had been freed and she swam to the surface where she gasped for air. When she opened her eyes she saw that she was inside of what looked like a giant boiler. It was extremely hot and Barbara knew she had to get out fast. She spotted an open door a few feet away and swam toward it. As Barbara climbed out she felt something grab her foot and when she turned around she saw a burned skeleton of what appeared to be a teenage girl grasping her leg. Barbara screamed and frantically kicked at the skeleton. The sharp, bony fingers scratched Barbara's leg as she struggled. Eventually Barbara managed to break free from the skeleton's grasp and it fell backward into the water just as a mass of flames filled the boiler and spewed out of the open door. A wave of heat rushed past Barbara before the door slammed shut.

-Barbara began to study her surroundings. She was in a dark, red-lighted room with chains hanging from the ceiling, steam clouding the air, and fire burning inside of various furnaces that were scattered about the room.

-"What _is_ this place?" Barbara asked herself.

-"_The place where dreams come to die", _said a voice from behind her. Barbara spun around and saw Freddy standing only a few feet away from her sneering at her. "Hello, Barbara," he said.

-Barbara had no idea what to make of this. She did not know if she should be scared, confused, or even amused. _Who the hell is this clown, some failed make-up artist? _Barbara thought to herself. _I'll bet he set this whole thing up. He's probably using some kind of illusion trick to psyche me out. There's no way this guy's expecting me to take him seriously._

-"Okay, 2 questions: how do you know my name, and who the hell picked out your Halloween costume" Barbara asked amusingly.

-Freddy smiled at her "The same person who picked yours' out, _Batgirl"_.

-This caught Barbara by surprise and she was startled to say the least. "What? How do you-"

-"Well, for one, the red hair makes you stick out like a sore thumb, and you were the easiest person in this God damned city for me to mind probe," Freddy said as he raised his index knife. "And let me take a wild guess: that little Dick boyfriend of yours' is the little 'Boy Blunder', right?"

-Now Barbara was getting nervous.

-"Like I said: if the hair sticks out of the mask, it's not a mask. Course…his feeble like mind wasn't that hard to hack either. How ironic: when I came here I thought the asylum freaks were gonna be the easiest targets, but it looks like the real fresh meat comes from the little children trying to play superhero".

-Freddy turned to the wall and the screen opened up. On the screen were profile pictures of all of the people Freddy had singled out. They included Scarecrow, whose profile had an X burned over it, Catwoman, Two-Face, Mr. Freeze, Riddler, Killer Croc, Mad Hatter, Poison Ivy, Penguin, Bane, Harley Quinn, and, much to Barbara's horror, at the bottom of the screen were profiles of herself, Robin, and Batman. Freddy walked over to the wall and pointed his finger over Batman.

-"Now this…this is my prize target. Thing is, he's the only one whose secret identity I just can't figure out. Well, him and that feline bitch. That's why I need you, my pretty. I need you to send the message: 'Freddy's coming for them'."

-"Why me?" Barbara asked anxiously.

-Freddy chuckled at her and slowly began to make his way toward her. Barbara backed up against a wall and Freddy walked right up to her. He placed his hand on the wall beside her and slowly scraped his claws down the wall. "I need someone weak, someone who I wouldn't have to beat into submission (_thinking of Catwoman)_ or the other way around. And who better than a little, naïve, wannabe superhero who only put on the cape to serve as a mascot to keep her daddy from going to jail?"

-Barbara angrily kicked Freddy in the crotch but it had absolutely no effect. He simply laughed and asked, "May I have another?" Barbara growled through teeth and violently began striking Freddy harder and harder. Freddy grabbed Barbara by the throat and used his other hand to run his claws gently down her cheek.

-"You wanna know the secret of pain?" he asked, "If you just stop feeling it, you can start using it". He then threw Barbara against a metal pipe, which made a loud _Bang_ from the impact. As Barbara lay on the ground Freddy walked up beside her. "The secret of _fear_ is a bit more complicated. It's based on size: the bigger it is the bigger you are", Freddy then leaned down until his face was practically touching Barbara's "The smaller it is, the smaller _you_ are".

-Freddy's tone turned angry "Now spread the message you little _bitch._ Make me large".

-"No" Barbara stated.

-"What was that?"

-"I said NO!" Barbara sprung to her feet and pushed Freddy back. "You just made a _huge_ mistake you spaghetti faced Halloween reject. You just told me what you really are: you're nothing but a pathetic, spineless bully who's completely helpless without the use of intimidation. And that's all this is, isn't it: intimidation? Did Mad Hatter put you up to this? Did you put some kind of mind chip behind my head that only activates when I'm asleep? And is that make-up or did you burn yourself to make people look past that stupid fedora hat and Christmas sweater combo?"

-Freddy angrily bared his teeth.

-"What's wrong? Is the 'weak, naïve wannabe' getting to you?"

-Freddy's angry expression turned to one of amusement. "Hardly", he exclaimed. He then vanished right before Barbara's eyes leaving her shocked. Barbara looked around to see where he had gone but could not find any trace of him. _"The second secret of fear…"_ Freddy's voice called out from nowhere. Barbara then felt something with sharp points grip around the top of her head. "…Everyone has it." Freddy stated from behind her. Then images began to flash before Freddy's eyes. They were images of Barbara, dressed as Batgirl, getting knocked off the side of a building and plummeting to her death right in front of her father. Once the heartbroken commissioner learned the truth he turned on Batman, tearing up nearly the entire city, releasing inmates from Arkham, arresting Dick Grason, turning Gotham into a battlefield, all to avenge her death because he never knew her secret.

-"Typical teenage drama: you're worst fear is that 'daddy wouldn't approve'. I can very easily make that fear a reality if you don't spread the message. So how about it?"

-Barbara spun around and kicked Freddy in the stomach. This time if had an effect and Freddy bent over in pain.

-"And then what? You'll just kill me anyway?"

-"I'll kill you last…"

-"Hmmm…" Barbara put her hand on her chin in a manner of consideration "No thanks". She then cartwheeled toward Freddy and delivered a powerful kick to his head and sideswiped his legs with her outstretched leg, tripping him. Once Freddy was on the ground Barbara leapt on top of him and started pounding his face. Freddy vanished from under her and reappeared behind her again. Freddy grabbed Barbara's head in his claw but, before he had a chance to dig the blades in her skull, another image flashed before his eyes: the image of her confrontation with Alice.

-Freddy froze in place and loosened his hold on Barbara's head. Barbara jerked her head away and smacked Freddy's hand sending his glove flying across the room. She then proceeded to land blows on Freddy's face and torso but he didn't even notice. He simply bitch-slapped Barbara with the back of his hand sending her to the ground. He then walked toward the wall where the screen was still displaying his victims. Freddy then brought up "New Arrivals in Gotham" on the screen and, sure enough, there was an image of Alice Johnson. Freddy stared at the screen as if he had just found a friend that he had not seen in decades. Barbara stared at him confused.

-"Alice", Freddy exclaimed with joy in his voice. Freddy then let out a sinister laugh that gave Barbara goose bumps. "It's been a long time, Alice. You and I have a lot of catching up to do".

-Barbara rose to her feet. "Good news, Babs" Freddy stated without taking his eyes off the screen, "You're off the hook". Barbara ran at Freddy and grabbed his arm with on hand and wrapped her other hand around his neck, grasping the collar of his sweater to ensure a firm hold. "The bad news", Freddy said turning his head 180 degrees like an owl, "You're off the hook".

Back in the real world Dick returned from the restroom to find Barbara lying under the covers. She looked like she was sleeping peacefully and Dick smiled at her. He leaned over to kiss Barbara on the side of the head but as he began to lean down Barbara abruptly shot up and let out and agonized gasp. Blood was gushing from her back. Dick stumbled backward in shock. The last thing that went through Barbara's mind was Batman's words about underestimating her opponent and the realization that Barbara had failed him. Barbara only had time to say "Warn Al..Al…", before her eyes drifted shut and her body collapsed off the side of her bed revealing four giant holes in her back, one of which was directly over her spine. Dick was terrified; he could not speak, move, or look away from Barbara's motionless body slumped over like a store mannequin. All he was able to do was try and fight back the vomit threatening to emerge from his throat. Eventually he lost the battle and fell to his knees beside Barbara and spilled his guts on the floor. When he looked back at Barbara, he noticed, for a second, that her tightly clenched fist was grasping what appeared to be a red and green cloth.

Back in the dream world, Freddy had attacked Barbara while her guard was down. As she held onto Freddy, he forced his glove to shoot up from the spot where Barbara had knocked it off and it slammed into her back like a mini-rocket, severing her spinal cord just a few inches above her pelvis while the other claws dug through her back, through her muscle, and into her body. The impact did not kill her but rather put her in a comatose state. In the dream world, however, she was awake and fully aware of her surroundings but had lost the ability to move. With the blades still embedded in Barbara's back, Freddy slipped his hand back into his glove and yanked the blade out causing blood to pour from the wounds. He looked at the collar of his sweater.

-"Damn bitch! You ruined my favorite sweater!" He turned Barbara onto her back and was about to bring his glove down on Barbara's chest but stopped right before they made impact. Freddy looked as if an idea had struck him at the last second and he gently brushed his blades along Barbara's forehead, covering it in her own blood as he chuckled sinisterly. "I told you I'd kill you last. I'm a man of my word".


	8. Chapter 7B: Victims (Part 2)

_Nightmare in Arkham_

Chapter 7B: Victims: Part 2

-The entire campus was buzzing with sirens, red and blue flashing lights, jumbled dialogue from the massive crowds that formed outside Barbara's dorm, shouts from GCPD officers for people to "stand back" and "clear the way", and the cries and screams of the girls that lived in the dorm that had been in their rooms when the tragedy struck. The dorm had been stormed by the canine unit who went through every room searching for any kind of weapons that could have been used at the scene of the crime. People who had been in the dorms were being questioned by a handful of the officers on stand by. The only thing that displayed more power and noise than the crowd was the rain that poured down over the crowd that was occasionally joined by thunder and a crack of lightening.

-Dick Grayson sat beside an ambulance car shaking like a jackhammer with his eyes wide in shock and tears streaming down his face. His body was drenched in rainwater but the cold from the rain was weaker than the terror running through his mind. Suddenly, he saw a dark figure appear out of nowhere in the corner of his eye. Batman dropped to his knees and grabbed Dick by his shoulders.

-"What _happened?"_ Batman asked sternly but with a clear tone of desperation.

-"I…I swear, I don't know. I left her alone for 5 minutes at the most and when I got back…OH GOD! What if she had spent all that time alone with those…" Dick grabbed handfuls of his hair in both of his hands and slammed his head against the ambulance while screaming in despair.

-"Listen to me, Dick. You _have_ to think straight. Her life depends on it."

-"I have to see her! I have to know how bad it is!" Dick stood up and tried to run toward the building but Batman held him back against the ambulance.

-"There is nothing you can do for her right now. You need to tell me what you saw."

-Just as Dick opened his mouth to speak he and Batman both heard a commotion coming from the direction of the dorm. They turned and saw 2 medical officers, covered by bright yellow ponchos, wheeling a stretcher out of the building with Barbara lying limply on the sheeted mattress with a giant regulator covering her mouth and nose. A third officer stood by with an umbrella trying to keep Barbara's unconscious body from getting soaked while being transported to the emergency vehicle.

-"_GET OUT OF MY WAY, DAMMIT! THAT'S MY DAUGHTER!"_ shouted a male voice somewhere in the crowd. Batman and Dick both saw Commissioner Gordon plowing his way through the crowd, pushing and shoving and throwing aside anyone or anything in his way. When he reached Barbara he placed a trembling hand on her head as if it would somehow help her regain consciousness. One of the doctors took him by the arm and tried to lead him away so they could load her into the ambulance but he fought him every chance he could. A few more officers stepped in and they were able to successfully hold Gordon back as the medical doctors wheeled Barbara right past Dick and Batman. Dick could only gaze in heartbroken agony at the sight of Barbara lying motionless with absolutely no emotion in her face as she weakly inhaled oxygen through the regulator on her face.

-Gordon came running as fast as he could toward them. He grabbed Dick by the shoulders. "Dick! Please! I beg you! Tell me what happened to my daughter, please!" he frantically pleaded with tears pouring from his eyes. It was hard to distinguish the tears on Gordon's face from the raindrops racing down his cheeks but the pain in his eyes could not have been any clearer. Dick could not speak. He tightened his eyes shut as much as they would compress and began weeping. He shook his head and could only muster in a weak, scratchy whisper "I don't know".

-Gordon slammed Dick against the Ambulance. "What the hell do you mean 'You don't know'?! You tell me what happened to Barbara right now, or so help me-"

-"Jim!" Batman shouted. Gordon turned toward him. "I already talked to him. What you need to do is get in the ambulance with Barbara and stay by her side." Batman turned his attention to Dick. "Dick, I want you to go with Gordon. I'll rendezvous with you back at the hospital".

-One of the doctors overheard the conversation. "Eh, sorry pal, strict policy: only family members are allowed to ride with patients. The kid's gonna have to-" Gordon grabbed the doctor by the collar of his coat. "Listen you,_ I'm_ the commissioner, that's _my_ daughter, and_ that_ kid saw what happened to my daughter. He comes with me, understand?" The doctor nodded his head nervously and Gordon released him and the doctor ran to the ambulance. Gordon then dropped his head down in despair. Batman came up to him and placed a hand on his shoulder.

-"I'll help any way I can. But the only way we can save her is if we both keep our heads clear and stay by her as long as it takes." Gordon nodded weakly. "Come on" Batman said leading Gordon by the hand to the ambulance. Gordon stepped inside first. Before Dick stepped in he turned and looked at Batman with sheer worry in his eyes.

-"She's going to pull through, Dick. At this point the doctors can do more for her than any of us".

-Dick nodded. He stepped inside the ambulance, closed the door, and it sped out of the driveway blaring its sirens. When the ambulance was out of view, Batman slowly walked toward a tree. His mind was riddled with devastation and anger. _How could this happen? How could this HAPPEN?_ _I took her under my wing promising I would protect her. She trusted me. Jim trusted me. And when his daughter needed me, I wasn't there…just like I wasn't there for my parents. _ Batman clenched his fist as a loud flash of lightening filled the sky. In one violent swing he punched a hole inside the tree.

_MEANWHILE…_

-In one violent swing Alice punched a hole inside of her heavy bag. She wore a grey sports bra and a pair of long, black sweatpants. Her body was dripping with sweat but she continued to strike at the heavy bag in a warrior pose as Sinead O' Connor's _I Want Your (Hands On Me)_ played from an old record player in the corner of the room. As the song drew to a close Alice began punching around the bag as it spun in the air and finished with a violent kick that broke the bag in half. Alice then brought her hands together in a prayer position, closed her eyes, and took a deep breathe in through her nose before letting out a long exhale. When Alice opened her eyes she was gazing straight at her reflection in a mirror on the far side the wall and was pleased with what she saw. "Fuckin A", she said with a smile.

-There was a knock on the door. "_Alice? You in there?" _Harley called from the other side of the door. Alice shut off her music.

-"Yeah, come on in Harley." The door opened and Harley stepped inside wearing a white fabric bathrobe that went down just past her upper thighs, her hair had been dyed back to its thick black and red color, her makeup was fully applied and covered the bruises on her body, and her lips had been given a thick patch of black lipstick. When she saw the broken punching bag on the ground she stopped and her eyes widened in surprise as they wandered back and forth from Alice to the bag.

-"I think your bag's dead," Harley stated awkwardly.

-"Nah, it's taken worse beatings. You're looking fabulous this evening. Did you find everything okay?"

-"Oh God, yes! Thank you, I feel like a human being again!" Harley said. Something about Harley's words did not sit right with Alice but she was glad Harley was feeling better. "Oh, yeah, um, the bathroom's all yours' now. I even left you some hot water".

-"Thank you. Perfect timing too. I just finished up my workout, as you can see…" Alice said motioning toward the bag, "…I probably smell like cheeseburger meat".

-"Really?" Harley asked enthusiastically. She quickly walked up to Alice and ordered her to "Stand still". Alice didn't even have time to respond because Harley was on her almost instantly sniffing down her arms, shoulders, and hair. Alice was a bit shocked at the action, but mostly because she did not know how to react. "No, you smell more like…like…" Haley took a long whiff of Alice's hair "Cigarettes! Oh, stinkeroni!" Harley opened her eyes and saw the awkward expression on Alice's face. "Oh! I'm sorry Alice! Sometimes I just-"

-"A bit touchy-feely, are we?"

-"I'm awful sorry! It's a force of habit. I just can't help myself. Sometimes I need to use other senses besides 'sight' to get a clear picture, and 'touch', 'taste', and 'smell' are the ones I like the most. Please don't be mad! I just naturally do stuff like that when I'm around someone I like!" Harley pleaded.

-"I'm not mad. I just wasn't expecting it, that's all. You're fine, really, just give me some warning next time".

-"Okay! I'm gonna hug you now!" Harley warned before quickly taking Alice in a tight bear hug.

-"Oh, Harley! Don't, I'm filthy!" Alice said giggling.

-"Yeah, I know, but filth never looked so good on anyone."

-"OH! You are such a sweet-heart!"

-"Thanks," Harley said as she released Alice. "You may wanna give the cigs some thought though. Them things'll kill you ya know."

-"Tell me about it", Alice said rolling her eyes. She looked back at Harley. "Tell you what, kido, why don't you go make yourself at home in the living room? I got movies down there and I'll come down and join you as soon as I wash all this funk off me".

-"K! Don't wait too long though!" Harley exclaimed happily as she danced out of the door.

-"Well, I guess insanity does have its ups after all", Alice said to herself.

-About 30 minutes later Alice had stepped out of the bathroom wearing a white bathrobe like Harley's. She could hear Harley downstairs laughing like a hyena. Alice chuckled to herself. "What is she watching down there?"

-Alice descended the stairs smiling with curiosity to see what could have possibly shifted Harley's mood so greatly since she had picked her up off the street. However, when she reached the bottom of the stairs and heard a line spoken from the film "_Hi Alice! Wish you were here!"_ her smile faded.

-"Hey Alice, come over here! This is hilarious!" Harley called to her patting an empty spot on the sofa inviting her to come sit with her. The "movie" Harley was watching was actually a home video with four teenagers (one male and three females) palling around in the grass by a large fountain. There was a nerdy African American girl with big glasses and an inhaler, a tough looking girl with long, curly brown hair who wore accessories stubbed with spikes, a blonde girl who had giant bags under her eyes, and a young greaser looking boy who was the blonde's girlfriend.

-Alice starred at the TV in mute silence. It had been years since she had seen this video. She just could never work up the nerve to do it. Alice could feel her emotions slipping away. She did not want Harley to see her cry.

-"I…I…I have to use the restroom" Alice said with a shaky voice. She turned and speed walked up the stairs. Harley watched her and suddenly her happiness was replaced with a feeling of concern.

-"Was it something I said?" she asked herself. Harley got up and made her way to the stairs. She stopped at the bottom of the staircase and called "Alice?" There was no reply. She made her way up the stairs. "Alice, are you alright? Come out and talk to me, please." As Harley made her way down the hallway she peered inside of room a room that had the door cracked a tiny bit to see if Alice was inside. Instead she found a giant flower display with roses, gardenias, petunias, and a heart shaped wreath with a message that read "THE MASTER OF DREAMS YOUR SOULS WILL KEEP". Right in front of the wreath was what appeared to be a thick notebook that was covered by the flowers that had been placed around it. Harley approached the notebook, and taped on the cover was a group photo of Alice along with the 4 teens from the video. The notebook was filled with dozens of photographs taken of Alice and the four teens throughout their childhood all the way up to their late teens. Suddenly, Harley was struck by the realization of why Alice walked out. "Oh God," Harley whispered to herself, "Alice".

-Alice scooped up a handful of water from her bathroom sink and splashed it over her face. She hoped the cold water would ease her emotions or, at the very least, mask her tears from Harley. "Come on Alice. Keep it together, just for tonight. That girl's just been through hell and you need to be strong for her." She silently pleaded to herself.

-_"Alice"_ called a voice from the doorway. Alice turned and saw Harley standing in the doorway with concern filling her eyes.

-"Oh, hey Harley" Alice said trying to keep her voice from shaking.

-"Are you okay?" Harley asked.

-"Yeah, um…I just um…felt kind of light headed and I needed to splash some water on my face. Go back down stairs, Harley; I'll be back in a sec-" Alice was cut off when Harley brought her arm out from behind the wall and held the notebook in front of Alice. Alice gasped and fell silent. Harley slowly entered the bathroom and placed the notebook gently on the countertop.

-"Alice, I'm so sorry" Harley said with every once of sincerity she could muster. Alice's voice was caught in her throat and the inside of it felt like it was being squeezed really tight. She knew she was going to break. She could already feel the tears forming in her eye.

-Harley held her arms out wide open and motioned Alice toward her. "Come here, Alice". Those words seemed to break whatever little resistance Alice had over her tears. Her face tensed, her eyes shut tightly, and a sob was let loose from her mouth. She threw herself in Harley's arms and grasped her as tightly as Harley had done her when they sat on the sidewalk. Alice's pain was no longer under any restraint. Her face was buried against Harley's shoulder and she cried in loud, breathy sobs. The tears ran down her face like a waterfall and Harley could feel the warm, salty droplets soak onto her bare skin. Harley wrapped one arm around Alice's upper back while her other hand gently stroked Alice's long hair.

-"Don't you ever even _think_ that being strong for someone means never showing your true feelings. Believe me, it _does things_ to you". After a while Alice's sobs slowly calmed to soft weeping. Harley stopped stroking Alice's hair and rested her hand on the back of Alice's head and pressed it firmly against her chest just under her chin."Shhhhhh" Harley whispered into her ear. Harley rested her cheek on top of Alice's scalp and slowly rocked her back forth. Harley never thought that in a situation like this _she_ would be the one offering comfort, especially to someone as physically strong as Alice. Usually it was Red who did stuff like this for her. _What would be the next thing Red would do in this situation? Oh yeah._ "You wanna talk about it, honey?" Alice nodded slowly. Harley smiled down on her and held onto her for a few more moments to give her a chance to collect herself.

-After a short time Alice and Harley were sitting back on the couch with the room lit by a single lamp on the side of the couch. After Alice calmed herself, she had told Harley about the tragedy that struck her all those years ago. She told her about how she lost her brother, her fiancé, her teenage son, and all of her friends. She told Harley how she could barely keep her emotions in check and how she would look for fights with common thugs and criminals. She told Harley about how she almost became everything she despised because her anger nearly consumed her. She had pretty much spilled all of her emotions and weaknesses to the Clown Queen of Crime.

-It became apparent to Harley that Alice's worst fear was becoming like her. This thought saddened her. What would Alice think of her if she knew the truth? Would she throw her back in Arkham? Would she hand her over to Batman? Would she still want to be friends? The last question was the one she feared the most. And it started to make Harley wonder if she really was as evil as everyone claimed she was. _Maybe if I try and help Alice, she won't think I'm evil. Maybe she'll even want to be friends if I tell her about Mista J and me. _

-"If you want, Alice, I'll sit and watch the video with you. If you laugh I'll laugh with you. If you cry I'll cry with you. If you get angry I'll get angry with you. I find even the most depressing of situations to be somewhat enjoyable when you have someone with you to share it with". Alice looked up at Harley and smiled at her. Alice nodded her head, her face saying "_Thank you, Harley_".

In the video, the tough looking girl asked the greaser, in a joking tone, what exactly it was that he puts in his hair as the group lay beside the fountain. Alice gave a faint smile at the remark. There was a scene where the greaser was lying on his back like he was sleeping and the blonde girl tried to hit his crotch with a mallet only to have him spring awake and greet her with "_HALO BAAYBA!" _which caused Harley to cling to her sides as tears filled her eyes from the laughter.

-Harley and Alice both sat on the couch giggling. Alice actually felt a sense of happiness from hearing her friends' voices and seeing them alive again and she was able to smile and chuckle and even laugh a bit at the video while Harley laughed like she was watching a quirky sitcom. However, she would constantly shift her eyes on Alice to see if she showed signs that she could no longer take it.

-The blonde and the greaser approached the fountain and each of them tossed in a coin. "_Aw shit, I don't have any change. Hey, Sheila can you help out a poor girl in need"_ The tough girl said to the nerdy girl, who was now holding the camera.

-_"Sorry, Debbie I used mine up last week"._

_-"Oh yeah, what did you wish for?"_

_-"Don't tell her, Sheila",_ the blonde girl said, "_or else it won't come true"._

_-"It already didn't_", Shelia replied putting the camera back on Debbie "_I wished Deb over here would give 'Dynasty' a rest, but we all know that's not gonna happen". _Debbie playfully stuck her tongue out at the camera, making a face at it.

-_"Alright, Supergirl, I'll spot you on this one since I'm such a nice guy"_ the greaser said to Debbie handing her a penny.

-"_Rick, you rock",_ she said, "_See that, Sheila? Rick knows how to treat a lady. And someday I am going to find you-"_ Suddenly Debbie screamed in terror and dropped the penny having just noticed it had a tiny fake spider glued to the back of it. As Debbie swore at Rick and tackled him to the ground and the 2 wrestled like a couple of children without a care in the world Harley and Alice both busted out laughing

-The blonde girl spoke. _"Alright, well Alice, I'm making this last wish for you. It's a bummer you couldn't be here with us today but just know you're like a sister to us-"_

_-"She is my sister"_ Rick said while on the ground.

-"_Don't remind her,"_ Debbie said while still on top of him.

-_"We all love you_", the blonde girl continued, "_and we all wish you the happiest of days_". The blonde then tossed her coin in the fountain.

-"Wow, you have such wonderful friends Alice". Harley told her as her laughter subsided.

-"Yeah, I sure did".

-"I wish I had friends like that".

-Alice turned to Harley. "What kind of friends _do_ you have?"

-"Well, except for Mista J and this woman named 'Red', I really don't have any friends. In fact, I don't think I _ever_ had friends".

-"Were you shy of people? I can totally relate to that. If it weren't for my brother, I would have been completely alone, probably up until 7th grade when I met Sheila. The only reason I was able to talk to her was because we had matching personalities".

-"You were a nerd?" Harley asked surprised. Alice raised an eyebrow (not angrily).

\- "Not that there's anything wrong with that! It's just, I never would have taken you-"

-"It's alright, Harley, I know. Sometimes I can't believe it either".

-Harley sighed in relief. "But, to answer your question, no: I was not shy, quite the opposite, actually. I would have loved to socialize and be as close to everyone as I possibly could".

-"So why didn't you?" Alice asked.

-"My mother," Harley said with a tone of resentment, "My mother never let me have a life of my own. After my dad left her alone with my deadbeat brother and me she took all of her anger out on me. Even though I was four years old at the time, she forced me to focus all of my time on books, studying, and work. If I strayed to anything that did not fall in those categories she would go ape shit: _"OMG! Why don't you just leave now! Go be a bum, like your bastard father and your brother! You're never going mount to anything!"_ Harley exclaimed in a mocking tone.

-"Oh boy", Alice said, "Do I know how that feels. After my mom died, my dad made friends with the bottle and _everything_ was my fault after that. I never cooked right, I never dressed right, and I never dreamed right according to him. He completely destroyed my self esteem and that made me incredibly socially awkward among my peers, hence why I was so shy".

-"Same here", Harley continued, "By the time all my peers were forming cliques, relationships, and police records I was being kept a prisoner in my home. My mom home schooled me and hardly ever let me out of the house. I thought things would get better when I went to college, but they didn't. I had no idea how to interact with people and they avoided me, ridiculed me, or tried to take advantage of me. My senior year of college I had discovered a fascination with psychology, particularly with the criminal mind. I decided to intern at Arkham, and that's when I met Mista J".

-"Mister J?" Alice asked confused.

-"Well, his real name is 'Joker' but I give all the special people in my life super cute, super exclusive nicknames that only I can call them. Would you like a nickname?"

-"Oh, sure! Wow, I've already become someone special in your life?" Alice asked flattered.

-"Yeup. Did I here you say your last name is 'Johnson'?"

-"That's right…"

-"From this day forward, you will be known as 'Mises J'". Then Harley clapped her hands together rapidly while whisper cheering.

-Alice chuckled. "So…tell me more about my husband, _Mista_ J, I mean Joker". Alice said remembering "Mista J" was for Harley's use only.

-Harley sighed romantically, "He was the smartest, cutest, funniest, and most charming angel I ever met…he was the _only_ one I ever met, but still. And our backstories were almost completely identical: he was raised by a single parent who abused him when he tried to be happy and funny and joyful and he never had a childhood".

-Harley's tone grew angry. "And now all he wants is to make the world laugh; to find his way in a world who just doesn't get the joke. But that creep _Batman_ always beats him to a bloody pulp, locks him up in Arkham like a frightened puppy in the pound, and tries to come between my Puddin and me. And…and…"

-"You released the side of you that you'd suppressed since childhood. You fully embraced the real you".

-"Exactly!" Harley said excitedly

-"And how's that working out for you?"

-Harley opened her mouth to respond but stopped short before she could answer. As she thought, she realized that since then she had been a failure to the only person who ever showed her any love. She wound up on the streets cold, broken, and scared. What had she to show for it all? She was a nothing; a loser.

-"I…well I…I don't know" Harley said defeated.

-Alice took Harley by the hand. "I want to show you something".

-Alice brought Harley upstairs to the room where she destroyed her heavy bag and took her in front of the mirror she looked in. She turned Harley toward it so that they were both looking at each other's reflection.

-Alice remembered Harley's remark "_I feel like a human being again"_ and saw that she was trying to avert her eyes from the reflection."Harley, what do you see when you look at yourself?"

-"My reflection".

-"No, no. I mean, how do you see yourself? What is your interpretation of _you?"_

-Harley looked uneasy. "I…Well Mista J-"

-"I don't care what 'Mista J' sees; I asked what _you_ see".

-Harley looked in the mirror but could not stand the sight. She had never actually thought about what she thought of herself; all that mattered was what her Puddin thought of her. And he thought she was a worthless, pathetic, stupid, ugly piece of trash (but he still loved her!). But if that's not what Alice wanted to hear, maybe she could tell her what society saw her as. It was, after all, not far from the truth. "I'm…I'm a monster. I'm dangerous. I'm a certified nutso wanted by the law in 12 states. And…and…and that's it. I'm the worst thing on this planet", Harley said with despair.

-"Alice…there's something you need to know about me-"

-"I already know, Harleen". Harley was shocked at hearing Alice use the name she had abandoned long ago. She jerked her head toward Alice with her eyes wide and mouth agape. "Dr. Leland already told me everything, and you're still in our filing system".

-Harley was at a loss for words. _She knew this whole time, and she was still so kind to me?_

-Alice gently turned Harley's head back toward the mirror.

-"All those photos in the notebook used to cover this entire mirror" Alice exclaimed, "because I could never stand looking at the reflection. I would hide it behind my friends and family. But as each of them died I took down the pictures because I knew that I would never be able to hide behind them again. It wasn't until after Rick died that I understood something that my friend Sheila had told me: 'Mind over Matter'".

-"What does that mean?" Harley asked genuinely curious.

-"It means that no matter what people say something physically is, what matters is what _you _believe it is. Everyone, even my own father, told me that I was a loser, a nobody. And so that's what I saw myself as. But when I saw my reflection for the first time in years, I could not have been more proud of what I saw: the "loser" turned out to be a badass who became stronger through tragedy".

-"But doesn't it still hurt?" Harley asked.

-"Of course. It _never _stops hurting. All of the physical pain in the world wouldn't even hold a candle to the pain of losing someone you love. But while most people would see a tragedy like that as the end of a story, I saw it as the end of mine at first, but now I see it as my _beginning_."

-"Mind over Matter!" Harley exclaimed like she finally understood.

-"_Exactly_". Alice replied. Then she turned back to Harley and cupped the side of her face in the palm of her hand motioning Harley to face her.

-"Harley, whatever people may have said you were in the past, whether it was true or not, as far as I'm concerned, if you're capable of showing fear, thinking about other people's feelings, comforting people when they're in pain, staying by their side and laughing with them to make them feel better, taking an interest in someone's well being other than yours', and admitting your faults and your past mistakes, then you're nothing more or less than what I am: a victim, a human being".

-Harley felt like the air had been sucked right out of her lungs. The only time she had ever felt happiness like this was when she was with Mista J. She never thought anyone could be this selfless, especially not to someone like her. She felt like every bit of happiness she had lost over the past week had just returned in one giant mass. "That is…the nicest thing anyone has ever said to me! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!" She screamed before tackling Alice down on the floor and giving her a long, giant kiss on the side of her cheek. Alice laughed as she felt Harley's lips press deep onto the side of her face. When she retracted her lips Harley left a giant, black lip print in the shape of a heart on Alice's cheek. Harley's face hovered about an inch over the back of Alice's head and she started sniffing her hair. "Oh Alice! You're hair smells so _nice!_ What is that?"

-"I don't know!" Alice said through her giggles, "Why don't you take another whiff?" Harley obeyed and nestled her head deep into Alice's hair to the point where she was touching Alice's neck.

-"Oh!" Alice yelped, "Harley, be careful, I'm ticklish!"

-"Ohhhhh, _are _you Misses J_?"_ Harley responded mischievously with a devious grin.

-"Oh God, please have mercy!" But Harley dug her nails into Alice's side causing her to buck her hips and squirm as she cackled like a hyena, which, in turn, made Harley do the same thing. The 2 may have been victims in the past, but in that moment, they could never have been happier.


	9. Chapter 8: A Tip of the Hat

_Nightmare in Arkham_

Chapter 8: "A Tip of the Hat"

-Inside Barbara's mind, she stood frozen like a statue with only the ability to cry out. Nobody seemed to hear or see her. Batman and Robin were both running through the Batcave with Gordon, Bullock, Montoya, and the entire GCPD on their tail firing guns and rifles at them in a barrage of bullets that flashed against the wall.

-"NO! STOP IT!" Barbara pleaded.

-"_Bruce Wayne! Stop where you are!"_ Gordon demanded through a megaphone. Batman and Robin continued to run while the gunfire destroyed the Bat Computer. As the dynamic duo rushed toward the Batmobile one of Gordon's men threw a grenade in their path and they just barely managed to jump out of the way in time.

-"Daddy, I'm alive! Please, stop this! I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner!" Barbara desperately begged with tears in her eyes. But the nightmare carried on. Just as Batman and Robin were about to reach the Batmobile, Gordon ordered one of his men to fire a bazooka at the car and it was blown to pieces. Barbara was horrified at the sight of Batman losing one of his trademark symbols.

-"NOOOOOO! SOMEBODY! ANYBODY! PLEASE! WAKE ME UP! WAKE ME UP!" Barbara screamed. As Gordon ran toward Barbara she extended her hand hoping that somehow he would see her and take it. But instead, he ran right through her like she wasn't even there. Barbara starred at her outstretched hand as if it had just been slapped away by the one person she ever loved and she broke down in tears.

In the hospital Jim Gordon sat beside Barbara holding her hand. His head hung down as if there were nothing to hold it up. Barbara's unconscious body was lying on a small bed with the regulator covering her mouth. She also had 2 others inserted into her nostrils. There was a heart monitor beside her with a green line that beeped once every 2 seconds. Her breathing was very slow and the oxygen being carried into her lungs through the machines was the only thing keeping her stable. There was a brace wrapped around her torso and her arms were covered in straps hooked up to other various machines. An old female doctor stood at the foot of Barbara's bed hooking up the last of Barbara's life support.

-"There" the doctor spoke, "that's the last of it". Gordon did not speak or even move. He kept his head down and sat like a stone statue. The doctor frowned knowing there was nothing she could say to ease the commissioner's mind.

-"We'll do everything we can for her, Mr. Gordon. Thank God you got her here in the time you did. With the amount of injuries Barbara suffered she would have been dead within the hour had she not gotten immediate medical attention". Still, Jim did not move.

-The doctor placed a hand on Jim's shoulders. "You can go home now, if you wish. You'll need to get some sleep. We'll call you if Barbara's condition changes".

-"Doctor?" Gordon asked silently.

-"Yes Jim?"

-"How bad was it. I will never sleep again until I know what happened to my daughter. Is she going to make it? And will she…will she…", Gordon's crying hindered him as he spoke "…will she ever be able to walk again? Will she ever be able to the things she loved again?

-The doctor sighed, trying to think of the best way to answer Gordon's question. "I don't know Jim. I wish more than anything that I could tell you anything certain at this point. Whatever put those holes in Barbara's back severed her spine. The others missed her vital organs by mere centimeters. To say your daughter is lucky to be alive right now would be an understatement. For now the best thing to do is to monitor her. You may stay by her side as long as you wish. But please, Jim, I beg you, get some rest. You won't be any good to Barbara if you exhaust yourself".

-"Thank you, Doctor", Jim said without lifting his head. She nodded and stepped out of the room.

-"You can come out now. I know you're there." Batman stepped out of the shadows in the corner of the room.

-"Jim…there's something I have to tell you, about Barbara. Believe me, she wanted to tell you this for a long time, but-"

-"She's Batgirl?" Jim interrupted. Batman looked at him startled. "I know, Batman. I've always known. I'd recognize that beautiful red hair no matter how many masks cover her face. Thing is…" Jim started to weep as he spoke "…she's such a strong, independent young woman, fully capable of making her own choices in life. The day she showed up to support me when I was framed for that crime…was the proudest day of my life. I actually lived long enough to see her become something more than I had ever dreamed of becoming: she became a protector of the city…under _your _wing. I don't blame you for this, Batman. I come from a line of work where everyday is a risk. I knew Barbara was taking a risk. Barbara knew she was taking a risk. I just never thought…that one day…that risk would come true". After that last sentence Jim broke down in tears as he sat in his chair sobbing with Barbara's limp hand pressed against his forehead.

-"Just promise me something, Batman".

-"Anything, Jim".

-"Promise me you'll find the bastard who did this to my daughter, and bring them to me so I can send them straight to hell".

-After a pause, Batman nodded. Then he stepped out of the room to give Jim some time alone with his daughter. When he entered the hallway he was stopped by a familiar, yet very unexpected, voice.

-"_Yo, Batsy! Wait_!" Batman turned around and saw Harvey Bullock running toward him as fast as his massive weight would allow him. When he reached Batman he bent over with his hands on his knees, panting.

-"Bullock? Well this is a surprise. What I can do for-"

-"Skip the pleasantries Bats. I got something I thought you should have and it's real important". Bullock reached into the pocket of his overcoat and took out a small plastic bag containing a torn piece of red and green fabric. "Barbara was holding onto this when we found her". Harvey's voice grew stern and serious as he continued. "Now listen to me as hard as you can, Bat Boy: if any of the other officers were doing this I would have their badges and I could very easily lose mine if anyone knew I was with-holding evidence for some Bat freak. But I know the Commish would want you to hold onto this. As much as I hate to admit it, you'll probably piece everything together long before any of these stooges".

-Batman starred at the piece of evidence that had been presented to him. "Thanks Harvy".

-"Yeah, well, just don't make me regret abandoning my principles".

From his lair, Freddy had been watching the whole thing. "Well I'll be damned," Freddy then turned toward Barbara, whose limp body was held up right in a glass containment with red smoke accumulating inside of it, "Looks like Papa wasn't as dumb as we thought, eh Barbie girl?" Freddy then walked over to Barbara smiling and ran his index knife down the glass. "I guess that makes this little hole you've dug for yourself completely pointless. Don't worry, pretty soon there's gonna be a hell of a lot more holes being dug, hehehehahaha". Freddy then turned his attention toward his screen as it showed that Alice was getting ready for bed. Harley was lying under the covers beside her still slightly awake.

-"Show time!" Freddy exclaimed. He walked over to Alice's profile and placed his index knife on it. Once she fell asleep, all he would have to do would be to stab into the profile and he would be transported into Alice's mind. Freddy leered at Alice's profile with anticipation.

-_"What's that?" _he heard Harley say from the screen. Freddy turned and saw Alice sitting on the bed beside Harley holding a small tablet in her hand.

-_"It's called 'Hypnocil',"_ Alice said.

-"What?!" Freddy shouted angrily.

-_"What's it do? Hypnotize you?" _Harley asked curiously.

-_"No, it helps me control my nightmares…by preventing me from dreaming"._

-"NO! You bitch!" Freddy screamed. Then he began to fly into a rage. Suddenly, Freddy was stopped in his tracks when something Harley said caught his interest.

-"_Ya know, Alice, I know someone in Arkham who could help you with your nightmares. He calls himself the 'Mad Hatter' and he specializes in mind and thought control. I heard he even once created a machine that was able to control people's dreams"._

-Freddy smiled. "How interesting…"

-"_Oh, you mean Jervis Tetch", _Alice exclaimed, "_Yeah, he's quite an interesting fellow. And I've heard about some of the devices he's come up with. He even allowed me to examine a few of his devices and, I must say, I was thoroughly impressed. If only he weren't so obsessed with his past he could revolutionize peoples' thought process entirely. I mean-"_ Alice turned to Harley and saw that she had already fallen fast asleep. She was snoring softly in a way that sounded like a tiny puppy whimpering. Alice could only chuckle to herself. _"_Wow, some people have told me I 'bore them into a coma when I talk' but I didn't think they were actually serious_"._

-Alice popped the _Hypnocil_ in her mouth and swallowed it without the aid of water. She then leaned over and gently planted a soft kiss on Harley's cheek just behind her eye. Although Harley was asleep she still smiled with her eyes closed. As Alice lay back on her pillow Harley snuggled closer to her and wrapped her arms around Alice's right arm like a stuffed animal and rested her head on the pillow, her cheek nestled into Alice's shoulder.

-Alice smiled at her. She had barely known Harley for one night and yet her bright, cheerful, and sweet personality had already won her over. And her childlike innocence reminded Alice of Jacob when he was a young boy; how he would always snuggle with her in bed at night, how they would watch movies in the living room and share laughs with each other and comfort each other during sad times, and how they would wrestle each other in tickle fights. It was strange: for the first time in decades Alice actually felt like a mother again. Alice turned off her lamp and rested her head back on her pillow, her cheek resting on top of Harley's head while Harley's cheek rested on top of Alice's shoulder.

Freddy had just finished masturbating with his glove to the sight of Alice and Harley sleeping together. "MMMMM YEAH!" He exclaimed satisfied as he brought his blood stained blades out of his pants. Freddy licked his own blood off of his blades and smiled with the blood seeping through his teeth. "God bless the emotionally clingy".

-Freddy turned his attention back to his list of victims. "Well gee, I wonder which one is the Mad Hatter", he said sarcastically. Freddy used his glove to point to random profiles. "Eeny, meeny, miny, YOU!" Freddy spat amusingly as he jabbed his gloved finger over the profile of a tall blonde man with a large overbite wearing a blue overcoat covering a lime green dress shirt, a pair of white gloves, a giant bowtie, and a large top hat with a card sticking out. As the screen locked onto Freddy's target, he sat back in a bloody armchair as he got ready to spy on his victim.

Jervis Tetch sat alone at a chess table in the lounge of Arkham Asylum. His head rested in one hand that was supported by his elbow on the table. His face was one of despair and misery. On the table was a chessboard with all of the pieces set up like someone was playing a game but stopped in the middle. Jervis starred at the pieces as if expecting an invisible opponent to make a move.

-"_Jervis?"_ called a female voice. Jervis did not look up; he knew it was Dr. Leland. "Jervis, it's time to go back to your room now. It's long past bedtime and you need your rest". Jervis kept his focus on the chessboard.

-"He almost had me", Jervis said with deep sadness, "For the first time ever, Dr. Crane almost beat me". Dr. Leland looked at the chessboard and noticed the white side was down to only 1 king and it was nearly completely boxed in by a black king, queen, and knight. "In just one more move, he would have finally been able to say 'checkmate'. Oh it's not fair! It's not fair! He was a good man! I know that seems hard to believe, based off of his status, but he was one of the kindest souls anyone could have ever known. And now…_no one_ will know!"

-Dr. Leland sighed. "Jervis…I know it hurts. I know how close you and Dr. Crane were. But sitting her and dwelling on it day after day, night after night, is only going to make it worse. I know this isn't how Jonathan would have wanted you to carry on".

-Jervis wiped a tear from his eye. "What else can I do? This always happens. Everyone who I care about, I wind up losing. First Alice, now John, I'll bet such sorrow never existed in Wonderland. I just wish I could have a chance to join the dance. I hate being alone".

-"But Jervis, you're _not_ alone. You're in a place where everyone wants to help you. Me, my colleagues, and Alice are all here for you. Alice has really taken a liking to you". Jervis lifted his head.

-"She told me she thought you were a genius and she enjoyed getting to know you". Jervis began to smile a bit

-"Are you serious, Dr. Leland?" He said with a slight touch of joy.

-"Yes Jervis, and she really wants to help you through your pain, as do I. So don't think even for a minute that you're alone".

-Jervis smiled at her. "Thank you" he said.

-Dr. Leland smiled back. "You ready to head back now?"

-"Could I have just 5 more minutes? Just to reminisce on the good times?"

-"Well-" Before Dr. Leland could answer the door to the lounge flung open and a female security guard stood in the doorway. "We have a serious problem". The guard stated.

-"What happened?" Dr. Leland asked

-"All of my officers have been incapacitated. Poison Ivy, for some reason, broke back in and now all the guards in the cell block are either beaten senseless or have been completely robbed of their senses".

-"Oh Jesus" Dr. Leland stated annoyed. She turned to Jervis. "You have until I get back". Jervis nodded and Dr. Leland walked out of the room with the female guard.

As Jervis looked at the king on Jonathan's side, which was one move away from cutting off any way for Jervis to move his own, his eyes began to drift shut and he had to constantly snap himself awake. He decided to take out his copy of _The Looking Glass_ that he always kept with him thinking that reading it would help him stay awake. Jervis read through the book but still found it a challenge to stay awake. He began reciting one of his favorite lines "Will you, won't you, will you, won't you…won't you join the dance_?"_ Just as he was on the verge of drifting into sleep he was startled by a voice: "_Checkmate!"_

-Jervis sprung awake and was shocked to see Jonathan Crane sitting across the table from him with a friendly smile. He had moved his king and won. "Good game Mr. Tetch".

-Jervis rubbed his eyes and stared at his friend in complete shock. "GHOST!" Jervis shouted as he fell out of his chair.

-"Whoa there, Jervis. Calm down. We can't win all the time now, can we?"

-"This isn't possible. You're dead! The doctors told me so. And it was all over the news!"

-"HA! The news. You mean the same news that labeled_ us_ as the 'bad guys'? The same news that glorifies that self-righteous lunatic Batman? The same news that turned _you_ into a monster just because you wanted to be with your one true love? And you actually believed them?"

-_That's a very good point _Jervis thought to himself. Jonathan extended his hand to Jervis. When Jervis took Jonathan's hand and felt it was real he was overcome with joy. "Oh Jonathan, you _are _alive!" Jervis sprung to his feet and squeezed Jonathan in a tight bear hug.

-"Yes Jervis, fear never dies".

-Jervis released Jonathan. "So, tell me, what happened?"

-"That's not important. What _is_ important is big plans you and I have in store for this city".

-"We do?"

-"Oh yes. And all we need is just one of your little mind control devices".

-"But Jonathan, don't you have mind control devices of your own? What about your fear toxins?"

-"You wanna turn this world into a Wonderland, don't ya? You want it to look more like this?" Jonathan extended an arm toward the wall and it burst open revealing the bright, colorful world from Lewis Carroll's most famous story. Jervis gawked in disbelief. He could see the White Rabbit, the March Hare, the Mouse, the Walrus and the Carpenter, the Caterpillar, Tweedledum and Tweedledee, and the Cheshire Cat. Then, like a Goddess appearing from the heavens, Alice (not Dr. Johnson but the blonde one that Jervis first fell in love with) walked out of the hole and slowly approached Jervis.

-"All that's missing is you, Mad Hatter", Alice said. When Alice said his name Jervis' prison suite transformed into his Mad Hatter costume. Alice leaned in to kiss Jervis but as Jervis took her in his arms she faded away and the hole did the same.

-"What? What's going on?" Jervis turned to Jonathan and was puzzled to see him in his Scarecrow costume. "Dr. Crane, what is all of this?"

-"Why, the stuff dreams are made of my friend". Jervis froze, remembering Batman said those exact words after he foiled Jervis' attempt to keep him out of his life permanently. "But, as I'm sure you know, even dreams can become reality".

-"Yes I-I suppose you're right…" Jervis said starting to feel unsure of the situation.

-"Good, now all you have to do to make your…to make_ our_ dreams a reality is hand over one of those pretty little mind control devices of yours'".

-Mad Hatter stood silently for a moment before reluctantly reaching into his coat pocket and taking out a white card with "10/6" written on it. Scarecrow smiled and held a hand out motioning Mad Hatter to bring it to him. The Mad Hatter slowly made his way toward Scarecrow and, just as slowly, handed him the card, which Scarecrow snatched as quickly as a bird snatching a fish from the water.

-Suddenly, Mad Hatter was startled by a noise from behind. When he turned he saw that his book had fallen from the table. "Oh no, not my Wonderland!" he said as he rushed to the book as if he were rushing to the aide of his child. He picked the book up and examined it making sure there were no scratches or dents on the cover or spine. The outside was in good condition but Hatter decided to check the contents to make sure no pages were torn. When he opened the book, Mad Hatter was dumb struck. The words on the pages looked like gibberish. He could not read a single letter. "What is this? Why can't I-" suddenly, the letters on the pages began to move rapidly in random directions. Mad Hatter's eyes scattered about the page to the point where he was starting to become disoriented, the words _"will you, won't you, will you, won't you"_ rang in his head. Then suddenly the book burst into flames. Mad Hatter screamed and dropped the book in a panic. As he watched in horror as his book burned before his eyes, Mad Hatter was startled by the sound of sinister laughter.

-Hatter turned to Scarecrow and saw him chuckling. "You think this is _funny?!" _Mad Hatter asked angrily. Scarecrow's laughter grew louder and soon it turned into someone else's laughter. Mad Hatter started to back away in fear. As Mad Hatter looked on in horror, Scarecrow's body became consumed in flames, as his unusual laughter roared inside of the room, and he transformed into Freddy Krueger.

-Mad Hatter fell onto his back and stared in sheer terror at the monstrosity that appeared before him. Freddy extended his gloved hand. "Shall we dance?"

-Mad Hatter scrambled to his feet and picked up a chair from the table and held it out in front of him to shield himself. "Stay back! Stay away from me!" As he lifted the chair he took his eyes off of Freddy for a moment and when he returned his gaze Freddy was gone. "Hi, Tetchie Boy!" Freddy yelled from behind. Mad Hatter screamed in surprise and jolted away, knocking over the table in the process and sending the chess pieces scattering across the floor.

-"Stay back! I'm warning you!" Freddy began to slowly walk toward him. "Don't come any closer!" Freddy stopped in the middle of the chess pieces lying on the ground. As Mad Hatter kept his eyes focused on him, Freddy leered at him with a devilish smile. Suddenly, the legs on the chair Mad Hatter was holding up transformed into demonic snakes that reared up ready to strike and hissed at him exposing long dagger like fangs that dripped lime green venom like water dripping from a faucet. Mad Hatter screamed in horror and threw the chair aside. As he started to back away Mad Hatter realized something. _Wait a minute. If this is a dream then…he can't hurt me! None of this is real!"_ He smiled at Freddy, whose face reverted to confusion.

-"Nice try! But you can't fool someone by using methods on them that they already used on someone else".

-"I beg your pardon?"

-"Oh, don't play dumb. You used a dream machine on me. That's why I couldn't read the print in the book: it's impossible to read anything in a dream". Freddy smiled at him again. Mad Hatter began to walk towards him.

-"And another thing: you can't _harm_ anyone in a dream either. I don't know who you are or what you were planning on gaining from this little stunt but I can assure you-" Freddy slashed Mad Hatter across his stomach. "AAH!"Mad Hatter screamed and backed away in pain pressing a hand to his stomach. When he lifted his hand his glove was painted red in his blood. Mad Hatter was frozen in fear as he gazed at his blood stained hand.

-"I already gained it" Freddy said holding up the card Mad Hatter had given him. "Now I think it's only fair I give you what you wanted: a nice little 'wonderland'…right along side you dear friend Johnny Boy!" Freddy exclaimed lifting his sweater and revealing Jonathan Crane's soul sticking out of his abdomen. Mad Hatter gasped in horror at the sight. "No" he said, devastated by his friend's fate.

-"Oh, but don't worry about ole Scarecrow", Freddy said picking up the black knight chess piece from off the ground, "He's been promoted to what he's always viewed himself as: the Headless Horseman!" As Freddy held the piece in the palm of his glove it became engulfed in flames and the flames grew larger until they took on the shape of a man on a horse. When the shape took form, it appeared as a black, demonic horse with yellow eyes that spewed fire and hooves that were made from fire. It also had a rider with a torn duster coat and a pair of black boots who was, of course, headless. In the rider's hand was the head of Scarecrow, whose eyes and mouth spewed flames like a jack-o-lantern.

-Mad Hatter began to back away toward the door. The fear racing through his mind was overwhelming. As Mad Hatter clutched the door handle, Freddy said "Off with his head", and smacked the horse's rump with his blades causing it to rear up on its back legs neighing wildly. The horseman then pulled out a giant scythe, which he twirled in a circle. Mad Hatter didn't waste any time. He bolt out of the door, slammed it shut, and began to run as fast as he could down the hallway. The horseman's scythe slashed the door in half on the other side and the horse raced down the hall after the Mad Hatter.

-"HELP! SOMEBODY HELP!" Mad Hatter shouted as he fled through the empty halls of the asylum. As he turned a corner, the Headless Horseman was right around the turn and he swung his scythe at him but Mad Hatter managed to duck out of the way in a nick of time and sprinted in the opposite direction. Mad Hatter didn't realize it yet, but every hall he ran down slightly changed form until it resembled a path in the dark forest from _Sleepy Hollow_. By the time Mad Hatter had noticed his surroundings he was completely lost. He knew that monster was still out there and he could hear the horse sounding in the distance closing in.

-_"Are you lost little mad one?"_ Asked an unseen voice.

-"Whose there? Who are you?" Mad Hatter asked frightened.

-"_Who am I? Now there is a most marvelous question! And to tell the truth…"_ The voice revealed itself as a floating, red and green striped cat with a humongous grin "I'm not even sure WHAT I am. Let me think. Was I the same when I got up this morning? I almost think I can remember feeling a little different. But if I'm not the same, the next question is 'Who in the world am I?' Ah, that's the great puzzle!" **(yes, I'm aware this quote did not come from the Cheshire Cat in the book**)

-"Cheshire Cat!" Hatter exclaimed.

-"Oh, that's right!" the Cheshire Cat exclaimed. "What's a Cheshire?"

-"Oh never mind, never mind! Please you must help me. There's a monster trying to kill me. I am your most beloved fan, ever since I was a small boy I've loved you. Please, tell me the best way to escape this nightmare!"

-"Well that depends a great deal on where you want to get to!"

-"It doesn't matter! Just so long-"

-"Then it doesn't matter which way you go!" The Cheshire Cat began to cackle but then started to choke. After three dry heaves he coughed something wet and fuzzy up that hit Mad Hatter in the face and landed in his hands. "Sorry, hairball".

-The hairball erupted from Mad Hatter's hands and transformed into the Headless Horseman. The monster swung at the Hatter but missed again. The blade circled around and struck the Cheshire Cat, severing the head from the body. But instead of the head rolling off the shoulders the head remained suspended in the air while the body fell to the ground and landed on its back legs.

-"I suppose it is true what they say", the cat's head spoke, "Cat's _do _always land on their feet" then it began to laugh manically. The headless cat body held out its right paw and four large blades sprang out. The head, still laughing, landed on top of the blades, impaling itself. Then the body reattached the head and the cat turned into Freddy.

-"Tell me something, Jervis: Are you the dreamer, or merely part of someone else's nightmare". The horseman tried to slice the Mad Hatter vertically but he leapt back. However, he didn't land on the ground but instead fell down a long dark hole that seemed to appear out of nowhere. Mad Hatter screamed the whole way down as images of his encounters with Batman as well as imagery from _Alice in Wonderland_ and _The Looking Glass_ appeared before him in some sort of twisted nightmare form. When he finally reached the bottom, Mad Hatter found himself trapped in some sort of stockade. His head and arms were locked in place and he could barely move. As he frantically looked around Freddy appeared in front of him. "Off with your head"

-Freddy raised his index knife and brought it down in a pointing motion. Mad Hatter looked up just in time to see a guillotine descending on him.

As Alice slept peacefully her phone rang. She ignored it and let it go to the answering machine. After the beep Dr. Leland's hysteric voice echoed through the receiver. "_Alice, please! I know you're asleep, but I need you to answer the phone! We have an emergency here! There's been-" _Alice picked up the phone.

-"Hey Joan, what's going-" Dr. Leland's frantic voice sounded through the phone. "Alright, Alright. Just calm down Ok? Joan? Joan just breathe. Alight good. Now...Wait, wait slow down you're talking too fast again. Wha...Wait wha...Oh My God!" Alice's eyes widened in shock and she sat upright over the side of her bed

-"How long ago? Alright. Alright yes, I'm on my way right now. Just hold on."

-Alice hung up the phone. "Oh, Jervis" she said despairingly covering her face.

-"What's wrong" Harley asked lying upright on her side. Alice turned to her.

-"It…It's nothing Harley, just some trouble at work. I need to go for a little while. Just good back to sleep okay".

-"I can't sleep, Alice, not alone. I'm afraid of the dark", Harley said sheepishly.

-"Then watch some TV. Just try and get tome rest. I won't be gone long".

-"Okay"

-Alice got dressed and began to walk out the door. "Thank you, Alice" Harley said as she was about leave.

-"Huh?" Alice turned to her.

-"Thank you, for everything, Mises J". Harley said with a smile.

-Alice smiled back. "And thank you for everything. Everything you've done for me, my little Queen of Hearts". Harley grinned at the name.

-Alice gave one last smile before heading out the door, which instantly turned into a frown once the door was closed.

Back in the dream world, Freddy carried Jervis' top had over to a coat rack that had giant meat hooks on it. Scarecrow's hat was already impaled on the hook farthest to the right. Freddy took Jervis' top had and examined it for a moment as he smiled menacingly. "Don't worry Jervis. You're still gonna get your wish. This city is still going to be turned into a wonderland…_my_ wonderland". Then Freddy impaled the hat on the hook right next to Scarecrow while cackling evilly.


	10. Chapter 9: The Lead

_Nightmare in Arkham_

Chapter 9: "The Lead"

-Selina Kyle sat on the couch in her living room with Isis curled up in her lap. She had decided to call it an early night, for she was completely satisfied with the amount of excitement she had: seeing Alice kick some ass, humiliating Batgirl, breaking into Arkham, and outsmarting Poison Ivy was a hell of a lot more than what she was expecting. Now it was time to relax at home while her leg wound continued to heal.

-As she was flipping through the channels on her television she found nothing of interest to watch. So she decided to turn to the one show that she knew would at least keep her attention: the evening news. She was sure to at least see her Arkham misadventure (and what fun it would be to see the look on Ivy's from her own TV). However, the story being broadcasted was much bigger than Selina's little break in.

-Summer Gleason stood outside of Gotham's medical center with a microphone help up just beneath her chin. _"A tragedy tonight here in Gotham as one of its local residents has been brutally attacked in her sleep,"_ A picture of Barbara Gordon appeared on the screen, "_At around 11:00 pm tonight, 25 year old Barbara Gordon, who is the daughter of the police commissioner Jim Gordon, was found inside of her dorm room at Gotham university with what seem to be four stab wounds inside of her back. She is still alive but in extreme critical condition."_

-"Oh my God," Selina said to herself in disbelief.

-_"As of yet, no suspects have been named in the incident but there was one piece of evidence found at the crime scene." _A picture of the red and green cloth appeared on the screen, "_This torn article of fabric, which is believed to be a part of the suspect's clothing, was recovered by the police after it was found clutched in Barbara's fist. Anyone with information regarding the owner of this cloth, or who may have information regarding the cloth itself, is advised to contact this number at-"_ Selina paused the video with her TiVo remote.

-"There's no way…" Selina said to herself as she slowly got up off the couch. Isis moved to the cushion next to her. As Selina walked to the screen she stared in disbelief at what she was seeing. _No, there's no way it could be him._ Selina thought to herself. But the longer she stared at the cloth the more familiar it looked to her. It looked exactly like the sweater that monster from her dream was wearing. She'd recognize it anywhere after that night. And then Gleason's words, "_4 stab wounds",_ rung inside of her head. She remembered the claw that thing used on her in her dream, how it tried to stab her. And then, of course, there was her wound.

-Selina looked down at her leg, which was covered by a thick, white bandage. Despite the thick layers of tissue covering her scars, the blood underneath still showed through. It showed the full outline of the 4 slashes beneath her dressing. Selina looked back at the cloth and this time she was not so sure of her remark. She changed out of her pajamas, put on her coat, and headed out the door.

_MEANWHILE…_

-"And you're sure that's all you saw?" Batman asked Dick Grayson as he sat slumped in a chair in the hospital break room.

-"Yes. I swear" Dick said with a mixture of frustration and fear "It happened almost instantaneously. I left her for no more than 5 minutes and when I came back she was sleeping peacefully, like she was when I left, then suddenly she just jolted up gasping like the air had been sucked out of her".

-"And that's when you saw the wounds in her back?"

-"Yes"

-"And you saw no one exiting the room when you returned? No signs of forced entry? Nobody suspicious walking the halls?"

-"No. Everything was just as it was when I left".

-"And you didn't hear any screaming or sounds of a struggle?"

-"No".

-"Did Barbara say anything to you that seemed out of the ordinary prior to the incident?"

-Dick paused. He sat silently for a moment, thinking. "Before we went back to the dorm…"

-"Yes?" Batman asked.

-"…she told me she had been having nightmares about children saying that someone was 'coming for her'".

-"Who?"

-"I don't know. Barbara wasn't even too sure about the name"

-"Did she have a description of the person?"

-"No."

-"Dick, this isn't getting us anywhere."

-"Well what do you want me to say?" Dick exclaimed angrily "You think I_ like_ the fact that my girlfriend has just been paralyzed and I don't know how it happened? I want to kill the bastard who did this! I want to burn him alive! I want to-"

-"Dick! Calm down. I know this is hard. And, believe me, I'm just as angry as you are. I want the person who's responsible for this to spend the rest of his life rotting. But we need a lead. We need something to point us in the right direction. Now are you sure there is nothing else?"

-Dick started to calm down. He fell silent and went back into deep thought. Then he remembered. "Right before Barbara blacked out, she tried to tell me to 'warn someone'. 'Warn Al'".

-"Warn Al?" Batman asked.

-"That's what it sounded like".

-Batman stood up. "Alright Dick, I'm going to go check on her right now. In the meantime I want you to think hard. Maybe sometime alone will help you clear your head".

-Batman slowly turned and walked out of the room. Dick sat in the chair with his forehead resting in the palms of his hands. "Warn Al. Warn Al" he repeated to himself trying to make sense of it.

-As Batman exited the room he heard a female voice call his name. He turned around and saw Selina Kyle walking up to him.

-"Selina, well this is a surprise".

-"I heard about Barbara", she said concerned. Batman frowned. "How is she?"

-"Stable, for the moment".

-"Is there any chance I could see her? It's really important".

-"I suppose so" Batman said "But why is it so important for you?"

-"I need to see her wounds".

-Now Batman was really confused. "What is this about Se-"

-Selina put her face extremely close to Batman's and said very sternly "I might be able to help you. But I need to see the damage first".

Batman took Selina upstairs to an empty room. Harvey Bullock and two other cops stood inside the room with them. As Batman and the officers stood by silently, Selina sat at a small table peering at the crime scene photos. "_Jesus,"_ Selina thought to herself as she looked at the blood soaked mattress Barbara had been sleeping on as well as Barbara's twisted body hanging over the side of the bed with her eyes closed and mouth hanging open in mute agony. Then Selina came across the photo she had been hoping to see: the damage site. The photo showed a close up of the four giant holes in the back region. Blood was oozing out of each of them like water trickling from a tilted cup. There were tiny pieces of flesh hanging off of the roof of some of the holes and fragments of bone were exposed on the one over the spine. The muscle was clearly visible in all four holes, especially in the ones in the center where the impact seemed to be the greatest. The holes, themselves, were all spaced about two inches apart and were only a few centimeters wide but what really struck Selina about them was how perfectly aligned they were.

-Selina turned to Batman. "On the news, they said that a red and green cloth was recovered at the crime scene. Do you or any of the officers have it with you".

-"We didn't find any cloth" one of the officers stated confused. He turned to Bullock. "What is she talking about?"

-"I don't-" Bullock was cut off when Batman took out the bag he had given him and placed it on the table beside Selina. She picked up the bag and peered at the torn article inside. There was no denying it: this was the exact same piece of clothing from her dream.

-"What is this about, Selina?" Bullock asked annoyed.

Selina placed her leg up on another chair and pulled up the sleeve of her pants revealing her scar. She then removed the bandage and exposed the raw, bloody slashes that looked almost as severe as Barbara's wounds. Bullock's eyes widened at the site of it and he turned his head in disgust. "A few days ago, I had a dream where I was attacked by a man, this horribly disfigured man. He wore a red a red and green striped sweater and he had a glove that had 4 giant razor blades attached to the fingers. I fought him off, but he scratched my leg as I was doing so. And when I woke up, I had this on my leg".

-The room was silent for a moment until Bullock spoke. "So what? What does this have to do with-"

-"Did the man have a name?" Batman asked curiously.

-Selina was silent as she recalled the nursery rhyme the children sang. "Actually…I remember there were 3 children in the dream who did say a name".

-"Children?" Batman asked sounding even more interested in Selina's story.

-"Yeah. Right before I was attacked, there were three children singing this song about a man coming for me." Batman's eyes widened.

-"What was the man's name, Selina?" Batman asked seriously.

-Selina tried to remember the song. Batman and the officers kept their eyes focused on Selina awaiting her reply. Bullock rolled his eyes in frustration.

-_"Alice!" _a voice exclaimed from the doorway. Batman, Selina, and the officers turned and saw Dick Grayson standing in the doorway "Warn Alice! That's what Barbara was trying to tell me. She probably meant the Alice at Arkham".

-Just then one of the officers' radios sounded and Officer Montoya's voice spoke from the other line. _"Guys, get out here now! There's been a murder!"_

-The officer immediately grabbed his radio. "Where at?"

-_"Arkham Asylum. We have to move, now"._ Batman was the first to leave. His mind had shifted away from Selina so suddenly at the mention of a murder that he had forgotten to get the name from Selina. He dashed out the room and down the hallway and the officers ran close behind. Bullock followed behind them, for his weight would not allow him to move very fast.

-Selina sat down in her chair and suddenly something clicked in her head. She stood up and ran as fast as she could with her hurt leg, leaving Dick behind standing in the doorway. She was hoping to catch Batman before he left but by the time she reached the loby and headed outside he was already speeding down the street while the officers trailed behind.

Alice arrived at Arkham just as the body of Jervis Tetch was being wheeled away in a stretcher. Alice watched in sadness as the stretcher containing his body was loaded in an ambulance, the doors were slammed shut, a medical officer patted the back of the truck signaling he was free to go, and the ambulance sped away blaring its sirens. _Why did it have to end like this? He was such a gentleman. He could have done great things. _She thought to herself. She didn't know any details about the incident and she dreaded to find out the severity of it.

-Alice entered the building and headed to the lounge where she knew Dr. Leland was waiting for her. When she opened the door the first thing she saw was the chess table, where the pieces were knocked over and the board was covered in blood. There was also a book that lay open on the table whose pages were also stained red with blood. Alice covered her mouth in shock at the site. Three officers stood by, taking pictures and examining the table for hidden evidence. Alice turned away from the table and saw Dr. Leland sitting on a couch next to it. She had both of her hands placed on her forehead as if she had a bad headache. Standing right in front of her was a large masked man with bat symbol on his chest. Alice was struck by a sudden feeling of confusion when she saw Batman. But as she stared at him she came to an unpleasant realization. _Oh Great! Another 'hero'_ Alice thought to herself annoyed. Although she did notice this one seemed vastly more serious than the other one.

-Alice approached Batman and Dr. Leland and Batman turned his head to her and stared at her. Alice froze in place as she peered into his vacant, ghost white eyes. She was not scared but felt uneasy as she met the Dark Knight's gaze. Dr. Leland soon noticed Batman was starring at something behind her and she turned her head to see what it was and saw Alice.

-"Oh Alice, thank God!" she said getting up off the couch.

-"Joan, what happened?"

-"I-I don't know. I left Jervis here for a few minutes to deal with a problem in the cellblocks and when I came back, I saw that he had fallen asleep. I walked over and shook him to wake him up…and then his head rolled right off the table."

-A chill ran through Alice's body. "Oh God, Joan. Do they know how it happened?"

-Dr. Leland shook her head. "That's what I was hoping _you _could help us with". Batman said.

-Dr. Leland turned to him. "Oh, Alice, this is Batman. He's our city's top detective".

-_THIS is your top detective?_ Alice thought to herself.

"Batman, this is-"

-"Dr. Johnson", Batman interrupted "I know. I've heard a lot about you. How you have a passion for helping those in need. Well, I need your help. And so do a lot of other people".

-Alice crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow preparing to here the same bullshit she heard from Batgirl come out of this freak.

-Sensing Alice's thoughts, Batman turned to Dr. Leland and saw how her mind was full from the events of the evening. "You can go outside now. You've done enough. I'll take things from here".

-"Thank you, Batman", Dr. Leland said before stepping out of the room and into the hallway. Batman then turned back to Alice and said to her as calmly as possible,

-"Look, Dr. Johnson, I know you don't agree with my methods, but right now someone's life is in danger. And many others might be as well. I want to do everything in my power to save them. But I need your help to do it. Will you at least hear me out?"

-Alice starred at Batman silently for a moment letting his words register in her mind. He seemed to be feeding her the same line Batgirl had fed her about her endangering innocent lives by her refusal to side with her. She could have asked him to show his face to her. To stop lying to everyone around him with his false identity that he was clearly only using to hide his own hypocrisy. But something about this one seemed different. Even though he was not being completely true by hiding himself it seemed his words, which was the only thing not hidden by his costume, were sincere. Then she remembered how she told Harley that admitting her faults is part of what made her human. This man did admit his faults, he spoke to her professionally rather than like an impersonator, he _asked_ for her help rather than demanding it, and he seemed to genuinely care about the lives he was claiming he was trying to save. She nodded her head said "Yes".

-The two sat down in a quite area and Batman told her what Dr. Leland had told him about Jervis' death. Then he told her about the attack on Barbara Gordon and the faint warning that she tried to pass on.

-"Why do you think Barbara was referring to me?" Alice asked.

-"Well, that's the problem, I don't know. But I have something that might answer that question".

-Batman reached behind his cape and took out the bag containing the cloth. "She was holding onto this when she was found. If it has any significance to you, then maybe you could help me determine what she was trying to say". Alice picked up the bag and looked at the contents. At first she did not know what she was looking at but when it finally registered in her head her eyes widened and her entire body became tense. _No, No! It can't be! Not after all this time! Okay, calm down. Maybe it's not what it looks like._

-"Alice?" Alice turned her head to Batman. As he looked into her eyes he detected traces of fear.

-"Did you say that…Barbara had _children_ in her dream?"

-"Yes…"

_-Oh God._ "Were the children, by any chance, skipping rope while singing?"

-Batman remembered Selina's story. "I was told they were singing, yes, and I actually heard from someone else who had a similar dream not too long ago. She told me the children were singing a song about someone 'coming for them'".

-Alice's heart was beginning to race. She dreaded the answer to the next question. "The person 'coming for them'…" Alice froze and closed her eyes praying the answer would be "no". "Was it a horribly burned man with a dirty brown hat and razors on his right hand?"

-Batman was surprised at how specific Alice was. Before Batman could answer, he was interrupted by someone calling his name _"Yo Bats"._ Alice and Batman turned and saw Harvey Bullock standing in the doorway holding a donut in one hand and a donut box in the other. "That Selina chick stopped by and asked that we give this to ya". He placed his donut on top of his box and reached into his coat pocket. He took out a piece of paper but as he took it out his donut slipped onto the floor. "Eh, 10 second rule" he said as he leaned down to retrieve it. However, as he reached down his box opened up and his donuts spilled onto the floor. "AH Com'n!" He exclaimed angrily. He dropped the paper on the floor and leaned over to retrieve his delectable treats. Alice rolled her eyes and shook her head in disgust at Harvey's incompetence. She walked up to where the paper was dropped and picked it up herself.

-She started to walk back to the table but froze halfway when she looked at the paper. As Batman looked on, Alice's entire body began to quiver, her skin turned pale white, her eyes and mouth hung open in absolute horror, her breath was caught in her throat and came out in distorted gasps, and her heart began to beat so loudly that Batman could hear it from a few feet away. "No. No!" Tears began to run down Alice's cheeks. "NOOOO! Not again! It can't happen again!"

-Bullock jerked his head up in surprise and Batman stood up from the table, and quickly started to make his way to Alice. "Alice! Alice! Calm down! What can't happen again?"

-"What they heck is wrong with her?" Bullock asked startled as he watched Alice without a clue as to what to do.

-Alice started screaming "Jervis! Jonathan Crane! My family! They were all-", suddenly, Alice froze again.

-"What is it Alice? Tell me!" Batman pleaded.

-"Harley," Alice stated with fear in her voice. "I told her to 'go to sleep'. She's all alone," then she suddenly became hysteric again, "Oh God!" She screamed fighting Batman back trying to scramble to the door. "I have to wake her up! I can't let her get killed!"

-"Okay, I'm gonna go get some help up here" Bullock said. But as he was leaving the room he noticed there was a donut he had missed. Alice broke free from Batman's grip and ran to the door. Unfortunately, she was so stricken with hysteria that she didn't notice Bullock bent over in the doorway and she tripped over him. Alice's head slammed against the wall and her vision started to blur away and she slipped out of consciousness.

-"Oh Man! Somebody, get a medic up here!" Bullock called running down the hall.

-Batman looked at the ground and noticed the paper lying just beside him. He picked it up and written on it was his lead. It was just one, single word: "FREDDY_". _


	11. Chapter 10: Dark Reunion

_Nightmare in Arkham:_

Chapter 10: "Dark Reunion"

-Alice was disoriented. She was fully conscious but had no idea where she was. Everything was black, but her environment was sweltering hot. Then light slowly started to illuminate in her surrounding. It was a dark, red shade and when the light became brighter a dark outline appeared in the center. Then the outline took on the shape of a man. Then Alice's vision became clear and she saw Freddy standing over her. His face was less than a meter over hers' and he was smiling a wide grin showing all of his filthy, rotten, blood covered teeth. "Wakie! Wakie! Eggs and Bakie!"

-Alice screamed in horror and she instinctively shot her fist up in Freddy's face. It made a loud _thwak_ when it made impact and Alice leaped to her feet. She kicked Freddy in the crotch and when he leaned over she constricted her arm around his neck as tight as she could. Her fear had now turned to rage. "You're dead! You're dead!" She then kicked Freddy in the leg causing him to fall onto one knee. Alice kicked Freddy in the back of the head causing his hat to fall off and she pinned his head against a boiler pipe with the sole of her boot. The pipe sizzled against Freddy's flesh and he screamed in agony. Alice pushed against his head with all of her might and she soon managed to crush Freddy's head like a piece of fruit under her shoe. His body slid down the side of the boiler spurting blood out of the headless stump. Once the body was on the floor it caught fire from the heat of the boiler and became engulfed in flames.

-Alice sobbed. "Stay dead! Stay dead, you fucking bastard! WE KILLED YOU!" Alice's scream echoed through the boiler room.

-_"If you killed me…"_ Freddy's voice sounded from nowhere. Suddenly, Freddy sprung up from under the floor right under his hat, which stayed on his head even as he descended in midair, "then why do I feel so alive?!"

-Alice ran at Freddy and took a swing at him but, in a dance fashion, Freddy dodged the blow, spun around, grabbed Alice's hand with his left hand, and swung her into a boiler. Freddy kept his grip on Alice's hand as he flung her around the room in a coupled dance like manner. After a few seconds of throwing Alice across the room like a rag doll, Freddy spun around pointing his index blade at Alice causing her to freeze in place. Freddy then brought his finger up, motioning Alice toward him. Alice's body was abruptly, and involuntarily, flung toward Freddy, who grabbed Alice's hand and held it high up in the air while groping his gloved hand around her waist. Freddy then shifted his weight over Alice, causing her to bend her back. "Just a little something I picked up from Jonathan Crane. It's called 'violent dancing'".

-Freddy spun Alice around and threw her forward at a railing, which she flipped over and fell about 15 feet off of a ledge. Alice hit the hard pavement on her back and a shockwave of pain jolted through her body. Alice slowly got back on her feet as she tried to regain her posture. Alice's body would only allow her to limp for a short distance before the pain subsided. When she was able to walk again, she made her way through the nightmare realm she thought had long since been destroyed and stumbled upon Barbara Gordon's catatonic body encased in its glass prison. Alice slowly approached the containment and gazed in both shock and amazement. The image of Barbara hovering in the red-misted encasement looked so surreal, even for something inside of a dream. But still, Alice new this poor girl had to be another victim.

-As she got within an arm's reach, Barbara's body turned its back to Alice and she saw the cuts in her back. Alice gasped and backed away. When she turned her head Alice saw the screen of victims Freddy still had displayed on his wall. At first, Alice could not make out the faces she was seeing on the wall, when she took a few steps toward it she could clearly see all of her patience in Arkham. "No", Alice quietly exclaimed.

-While gazing at Freddy's hit list, she stumbled upon Scarecrow and Mad Hatter's pictures, which were both marked with an X burned across them. Then, at the very bottom, she noticed a picture with only a / burned across it. After gazing at the picture for a short time Alice realized it was Batgirl. Then something clicked in her head and she turned back Barbara. _It's her! Oh God, she's the Batgirl. She's the one Batman's trying to save_.

-Alice knew she had to get Barbara out of the containment. Maybe then she would awaken from her coma in the real world. Alice looked around for something hard and blunt she could use to shatter the glass. After a short time she spotted a long, thick crowbar leaning against a wall, _perfect._ She grabbed the crowbar and ran toward the glass with the bar raised up behind her shoulders as she built up momentum for a hard impact. Right as Alice reached the glass and started to swing, four enormous spikes shot up from the ground in front of the glass and blocked her path. "_Ah, Ah, Ah. You can look, but ya can't touch," _Freddy's voice called out. The spikes then fell toward Alice with the speed of a bear trap snapping shut and Alice barely managed to jump out of the way in time. When Alice looked back, Freddy was standing right in front of Barbara's prison.

-Freddy chuckled and turned to Barbara. "Beauty, ain't it? Little Barbie girl in her very own little…" Freddy placed the tips of all 4 of his knives on the glass, "…Barbie world". Freddy scraped his claw down the glass and it gave off a bright white flash. Then it showed a sort of video projection in which Gotham was being torn asunder by the Arkham villains. Harley was shown brutally and remorselessly massacring frightened civilians by the dozens while giggling like a bubbly child, Poison Ivy was shown strangling and poisoning small children with her plants, and Two Face was flipping a coin to determine whether or not to detonate a bomb that would kill thousands of people held up in a building, and Bane was shown fighting Batman on a rooftop. Then Commissioner Gordon was shown on the screen angrily shouting in the chaos to all the villains, "_That's right! Do what you must! Just so long as you kill Batman! Kill him, like he killed my daughter!" _After this, Bane grabbed Batman, held him up in the air over his head, and then slammed him down over his knee, shattering his spine before hurling him at Gordon sending him and the broken Batman plummeting off of the rooftop to their deaths. Barbara was shown sobbing as she was forced to watch the events. _"Please stop! Make it go away! Make it go away!"_

-"Let her go!" Alice angrily demanded.

-"Oh, I can't do that", Freddy responded "I made her a promise that I'd 'save her for last'. Besides, she's just too much fun to kill right now".

-Freddy turned back to Alice. "In the meantime, you and I have some catching up to do. How long has it been, Alice? You've grown on me. Last time I saw you, ya looked like this little bitch right here", he said pointing his thumb to Barbara.

-"30 years. It's been 30 long, agonizing years". Alice said angrily.

-"My, my, I have been gone a long time. Not that it matters. I got all the time in the world now".

-"Jacob killed you. He killed you!"

-"Sorry hon, you're gonna have to be a little more specific. Quite a few people have killed me. Which one was he again?"

-Before Alice could answer, Freddy interrupted, "Oh! You mean your little rugrat! How could I forget him? He was the only one who killed me the proper way. How is he? Last time I saw him he had be held up inside of a room at my old humble abode with a bomb inside the room."

-Alice's face began to flush red with furry. "Oh, now that's a shame. Poor little Jacob, gone in a fiery inferno. Like father like son, eh Alice?"

-"SHUT UP!" Alice screamed. She ran at Freddy with the crowbar raised and took a swing at him but Freddy vanished before the impact and the crowbar was swung back around Alice's shoulder. Alice heard a whistle almost directly in her ear from behind. When she turned her head Freddy was on top of the crowbar, standing on only 1 finger from his left hand. His legs were spread apart in the air. He brought his middle blade straight up from his backside and wiggled it between his legs. "Strike one", he said.

-Freddy then leaped into the air using only the finger that was holding him up and kicked Alice in the face. She fell to the floor and the crowbar fell from her hands, landing right beside her. "Strike two".

-As Alice was lying on the ground 5 metal roots sprung from the ground and bound Alice to the ground by her arms, legs, and neck. Freddy stood over Alice, smiling evilly. Suddenly, he heard a beeping noise off to the side and he turned his head. On his list of victims, Harley's profile had lit up. Then it showed video footage of her sleeping on Alice's couch with the light from the TV cast over her. Freddy looked back at Alice, his smile even wider. He leaned in so that his face was directly over hers'. "Strike three", he stated, "you're outta here". Freddy brought his glove up and flicked all 4 blades straight up in front of Alice's face.

-Alice abruptly woke up in an ambulance. Her body shot up and she gasped in shock. "Whoa there, take it easy ma'am", said a doctor inside the vehicle. "You had quite a nasty bump there. Just lie back down and relax. We're just taking you to the hospital to make sure you don't have a concussion or anything."

-"No. No, you have to pull over! You have to let me out! He's going to kill her!"

-"Ma'am, just calm down. You just hit your head is all. Everything is going to be alright".

-"No! You don't understand-"

-"Ma'am-"

-"No! No! Let me out! I have to save her!" Alice sat up and kicked the door to the ambulance wide open.

-"Fuck! Are you crazy?!" The doctor shouted. Without thinking, Alice leaped from the ambulance and landed on a grassy slope. Her body was flung down the hill and her arms, feet, shoulders, back, and head slammed into the ground as she descended the slope. Once she finally reached the bottom her body was wracked with pain but she had no broken bones. She weakly stood up and saw that her neighborhood was only about a quarter of a mile away. Ignoring the pain, Alice began to make her way to her house as fast as she could.


	12. Chapter 11: Blood of the Innocent

_Nightmare in Arkham_

Chapter 11: "Blood of the Innocent"

-Harley sat on the living room couch wide-awake. The light from the TV cast bright light over her body that illuminated all of her features. She had been watching _World's Dumbest Criminals_ for nearly an hour now. This was one of her favorite shows because, not only did it have a never-ending supply of comedy, it made Harley feel a little better about herself seeing real criminals mess up in ways 1000 times worse than she ever had. Harley laughed as she watched people pull over to smoke a cigarette while fleeing from the police, getting beaten up by store clerks during a robbery, and announcing their crimes on live radio broadcasts. Suddenly, in one quick flash, the television went black. The room, which had been filled with enough light to keep the boogeyman off of the street, was now pitch black. There was not even the faintest speak of light in the room. Harley let out a feeble shriek and wrapped her arms around herself in fear. A clash of thunder sounded outside and Harley hid under the covers, shaking and whimpering. _Alice, where are you?_

-Suddenly, a loud scratchy noise came from the TV. Harley peeked out from under the covers and saw that the TV was back on but was displaying static. Harley slowly lowered the covers and made her way to the TV to adjust the picture. Before she could make it to the TV, Freddy's silhouette appeared on screen. _"There is nothing wrong with your television set. Do not attempt to adjust the picture. I am controlling transmission"._

_-_Harley starred at the screen in confused silence for a few moments before slowly backing toward the couch and sitting back down. Once she was settled on the couch the television cut to an image of Summer Gleason smiling at the camera. _"I'm here live with Gotham's happiest newly weds." _She turned toward someone off screen to her left. _"So tell me, Mr. and Mrs. J, how long have you 2 known each other?"_

-The camera zoomed out and sitting right beside Summer Gleason was the Joker. He was sitting right beside a woman Harley had never seen before. She was dressed in a black and red Victorian corset with red hearts covering it and she wore a golden crown on her head stubbed with rubies. She seemed to possess every physical quality as Harley, except they seemed vastly superior. She leaned over and kissed the Joker. Harley's eyes and mouth hung open in horror.

-"_Well to be perfectly honest"_, the Joker said, _"I would have to say since we were but young juveniles in teeny, tiny pants trying to move up in the world"._

_-"And we've been in love for just as long", _the woman said with a smile. Harley's heart began to ach as she listened.

-"_Quite right, my little Queen of Hearts". _The Joker said seductively. The woman then playfully scratched at the Joker while meowing like a cat. Tears began to roll down Harley's face. _He even has a cute nickname for her._

-Summer Gleason spoke. "_Now, I understand you used to be in a long lasting relationship with some other girl. I think she was named after a motorcycle or something."_

_-_"_Oh yeah, Hurley" _the Joker said apathetically, _"Yeah, I never actually loved her. I just needed some gullible little fool, a sort of jester if you will, to break me out of Arkham. Although I will admit she was pretty useful with killing and restraining my victims for me"._

_-"And why, exactly, did you have her do those things in the first place?"_ Gleason asked.

-"_Ya know to be perfectly honest, I can't remember. I'm like a dog chasing cars: I wouldn't know what to do with one if I caught it. I just do. In fact I always forgot about the people I hurt the very next day. I didn't even remember whom I attacked; just that I did it. The only memorable victim was Batman"._

-Harley shattered like a glass vase hitting the floor. "He told me 'it was all a joke'. That it was all 'leading up to a giant punch line'".

-_"Although I will say this"_, the Joker continued, "_if there is any punch line to be found in any of the acts that I have taken part in, or rather tricked her into taking part in, it's Harley"._

_-"You mean that the 'Killer Jester' really is nothing more than a jester?" _Gleason asked.

-_"Correct!"_ The Joker exclaimed, pointing his finger like a game show host. Gleason and an unknown amount of people off screen began laughing hysterically. By now all of Harley's senses had been muted. She wasn't even breathing. The pain and disbelief that had built up inside of her caused her to freeze like a stone statue. _All this time…I was the punch line? My God, how many people have I hurt? How many people have I killed? _Like a bolt of lightening, all of the faces, the screams, the pleas, the tears, and all of the blood from Harley's victims came rushing into her mind. She felt like she was going to throw up. She looked at her hands with eyes wide open in shock. Although Harley's hands were clean, she saw blood covering them like a fresh coat of paint. Harley fell to her knees, unable to look away from her hands, unable to move.

-_"So, Joker, what do you plan to do about your Ex?"_ Gleason asked on the TV.

_-"Tell ya what" _the Joker responded, "_Why don't we let our lovely viewing audience decide?"_ Joker turned to the audience _"Any suggestions?"_

-_"Well, my suggestion" _A silhouetted man in the audience replied, "_kill the little piggy"._ He then raised his right hand and 4 blades flicked out of the fingers. Harley snapped out of her trance just in time to see the man bring his arm back and fling it straight at the camera. Like a nightmare 3D effect, the hand popped out of the screen and Harley just barely dodged it as the knives stabbed through the couch and embedded themselves in the wall. Harley rushed to the front door. However, when she opened it, there was an army of at least 50 angry people outside waiting for her. They were all Harley's victims at some point. Some of them had depressed skulls from being hit in the head with her mallet; some of them had melted faces from her acid flowers, and some of them had no bodily damage at all but still bared faces of anger and fear. As Harley stood petrified with fear while her eyes scanned the faces of the lives she had ruined, all of the victims' eyes widened and they all smiled a big Joker smile. Their smiles grew so massive that the flesh between their ears and the sides of their lips ripped apart giving them permanent grins.

-Harley slowly started to back away. Then, like a horde of zombies, the victims began slowly walking toward her. Harley slammed the door and backed away from it. Suddenly, one of the victims' arms burst through the door and the crowd outside began to scream and laugh and bang their way in.

-"I'm sorry! I didn't mean to hurt you!" Harley pleaded with tears in her eyes, but the victims continued to claw and bang and tear at the door until it started to split open. Harley ran up the stairs and shut herself inside of a bedroom and locked the door. When she felt safe, Harley allowed her body to slide to the ground against the door. Her mind was wracked with guilt, betrayal, and fear. She buried her head in her knees and started to cry. Suddenly, Harley felt something stroking her knee. She shot her head up, gasping in surprise. It was then that Harley saw the child. It was a little girl about 5 years old with long blonde hair dressed in a white robe. The little girl looked at Harley with concern as she continued to stroke her knee. Harley stopped crying and looked at the little girl confused. Harley knew this could not have been one of her victims. Harley would blow up a bank, rob people at gunpoint, and even slit a few throats; but the one thing that Harley would never ever allow herself to do under any circumstances, even if the Joker ordered her to or even if her life depended on it, was hurt a child.

-Harley looked into the girl's face and saw nothing but pure, sweet innocence. The little girl looked directly into Harley's eyes and moved her hand from Harley's knee to her face, gently wiping the tears from her eyes. Harley's emotions took over. She didn't know who the little girl was or where she came from, nor did she care. All she knew was that she was in desperate need of a hug. Harley slowly brought her arms out careful not scare the little girl away. However, the little girl rushed up and embraced Harley before she even had a chance to put her arms around the girl's back. Harley wrapped her arms around the girl and held her tight.

-When Harley looked over the little girl's shoulder she saw 4 other children around the same age. There were 2 girls and 2 boys. Both of the boys had thick brown hair. One of the girls was black and the other white. The white girl had long, curly brown hair and the black girl had long black hair in a ponytail and wore glasses.

-"You have to wake up now", said the little blonde girl. Harley broke the embrace and looked at her.

-"What?" she asked confused.

-"He's coming for you, Harley. You have to wake up"

-"Who's coming for me?" the little girl did not answer.

-"What's your name?" Harley asked.

-"Kristen," the little girl responded.

-"Who's coming for me, Kristen? Where are your mommy and daddy?" Suddenly, Kristen and the other children looked up as if they had just heard a noise. Harley did not hear anything. The children turned back to Harley.

-Kristen slowly started to back away toward the children. The two little girls took out a jump rope and the two boys started to throw a ball back and forth. When Kristen reached the two little girls, they started swinging the rope through the air as she jumped over it. The children began singing._ "One, Two, Freddy's coming for you. Three, Four, better lock your door. Five, Six, grab your crucifix. Seven, Eight, better stay up late. Nine, Ten, never sleep again."_

-Now Harley was starting to get scared. "What are you doing? What are you talking about? Who is coming for me?!" Harley asked displaying her fear. Then a nightmarish chuckle sounded out of nowhere. "_Why, I believe that would be me"._

-Harley froze in terror and when she looked back at the children. Her eyes caught sight of a dark shadow in the shape of a man standing beside them. The shadow turned toward the children. "Alright kiddies, time to come in now. The adults need a little, _alone_ time". The children vanished in a mass of light. "NO!" Harley screamed, reaching an arm out to the children. But the children were absorbed into the shadows body and it turned to Harley.

-Harley stood up, preparing to run. "Who are you?" she asked, terrified.

-The shadow laughed at Harley and stepped into the light. Harley gasped at the sight of Freddy. "I'm your boyfriend now, Harley". He then flicked his claws out and wiggled them. "Say 'hello' to your new and improved Mista K!"

-Harley screamed and frantically tried to open the door, forgetting that she locked it.

-"Things ain't much better outside, kid," Freddy said. When Harley finally opened the door her victims were outside and they lunged for her. Harley fought them off as they grabbed and clawed at her body, ripping her clothes and pulling her hair. Harley managed to break free and ran toward the window and instinctively leaped out of it into the pouring rain. The glass shards slashed into her skin and shredded through her clothes. Harley landed on her side on the sopping wet grass that had been soaked by the rainwater. The shards that hit the ground before her were embedded into the flesh in her back, shoulder, thigh, and arm while the rain mercilessly poured down on her. Harley tried to get up but every move she made felt like a knife stabbing into her body. When she looked up, a bolt of lightening scattered across the sky and Harley saw Freddy's dark figure standing on top of the roof looking down on her. He let out a devilish laugh and crawled along the front of the house like a spider to the front door, which was torn from the hinges. Freddy put a hand by his mouth and shouted into the doorway, "Hey boys! Lunch just delivered itself!"

-Harley turned to the doorway and the Headless Horseman came running out without his horse. Behind him was the Mad Hatter, who now had a giant grin like the ones on Harley's victims, his teeth were serrated and stuck out of his mouth even when it was closed, his hair was now cloud white and puffed out like a lion's mane, his eye spun in opposite directions, and his head was stitched onto his body at the base of the neck. The 2 monsters grabbed Harley by her arms and held her down, pushing the glass deeper into her body. Harley screamed in pain.

-"Care for some tea, my dear?" the Mad Hatter asked in a psychotic voice. He held a white ceramic cup over Harley's face and poured the hot liquid over it. Harley screamed in pain from the burning and some of the liquid slid into her mouth and down her throat causing her to gag and choke. Just then, the victims all came running out of the house and gathered around Harley with the smiles still etched on their faces. They all began laughing and cheering and calling for their revenge. Harley begged for their forgiveness and for her life but they all laughed at her tears and reminded her that they begged her for the same thing and she denied them.

Back in the real world Alice was frantically trying to wake Harley up as she struggled helplessly on the couch. "Leave her alone! Leave her alone you bastard!"

-Harley screamed out in her sleep "ALICE!"

-Alice's heart sank as her own name rung in her ears. She felt defeated. She was going to lose her friend. _NO! Not again! Not this time!_

-Alice decided to use a desperate approach. She took out her bug zapper

Freddy stepped through the crowd of victims and stood towering over Harley as she lay on the ground. Freddy smiled and leaned down closer to Harley. As Harley began to scream Freddy extended his index blade and slowly began lower the point toward Harley's face. The blade slowly slid into Harley's open mouth and she could taste the steel and dry blood on the dagger.

-Before Freddy could make his next move, a bolt of lightening rushed down from the heavens and struck Harley. Freddy was electrocuted as the current spread to his body through the steel in Harley's mouth and was blown away in an explosion.


	13. Chapter 12: Harley's Awakening

_Nightmare in Arkham:_

Chapter 12: "Harley's Awakening"

-Harley jolted up off the couch gasping for air. She breathed like she had been submerged underwater for over 2 minutes. Her body still hurt and she had no idea where she was. She felt someone shaking her body. _"Harley! Harley! Calm down, Harley! You're safe now!"_

-When Harley's senses returned she saw Alice right in front of her clutching both of her shoulders. Her clothes were ripped and covered in mud and water. Her hands and a few parts of her face were bloodied and bruised and covered in grass stains. But Alice seemed to be completely unaware of her own pain, as she was completely transfixed on Harley.

-"OH Misses J! Thank God!" Harley exclaimed as she threw herself in Alice's arms and held her like her life depended on it. She cried hysterically as her head pressed under Alice's chin.

-"Shhhh! It's okay baby. It's okay. I got you now" Alice said as she held Harley just as tightly, her hand pressed around Harley's head. "It was all a nightmare. A mean, evil nightmare. But it's over; you're with Misses J now. I swear, I will never let anything hurt you ever again". After a few moments Alice looked down and saw the blood on Harley's back area and on the couch. Her eyes widened in fear. _Oh Jesus, no! _She thought to herself.

-"Come on, Harley", Alice said motioning Harley to get up.

-"Where are we going?"

-"To the doctor".

-"Oh God, please no!" Harley exclaimed as she started to breathe heavily.

-"Harley, you have blood covering a whole side of your back. I'm not going to just turn a blind eye to that".

-"I can't deal with sharp objects right now! I just can't!" After literally having a knife shoved in her mouth there was no way Harley was going to let some quack doctor poke at her with needles.

-"_You won't have to"_ said a voice from the doorway.

-Harley and Alice gasped and turned to the doorway to see Batman.

-"OH SHIT HE'S FOUND ME!" Harley tried to get up and run but she faltered on her first step and fell.

-"How did you find where I live?" Alice asked defensively.

-"Your Arkham files. After I was informed that you jumped out of a moving ambulance, I wasn't going to turn a blind eye to that either".

-Harley froze and looked up at Alice surprised. "Misses J, what is he talking about? Why were you in an ambulance? Did…did _he_ do something to you?!" She turned to Batman and asked angrily "What did you do to Misses J?!"

-"Nothing, Harley" Alice responded. "He didn't do anything to me. I just bumped my head, that's all."

-Harley was silent for a moment. "Then…you've come to take me in! Well I won't go down without a fight Bats!"

-"Harley-"

-"Misses J, pull out your Bug Zapper and set it on 'Super High This one's like a million Batgirls!"

-"Harley! Relax. I'm not here for you. I just wanted to talk to Alice and make sure she was okay. Now, I think it would be a good idea if _both_ of you went and got yourselves checked out. There's a doctor not far from here named Leslie Thompkins. She is like family to me and treats everyone I bring in like they were _my_ family regardless of who they might be".

-Alice and Harley fell silent for a moment. Batman sighed, "She won't turn Harley in unless I ask her to, and I won't," Then he turned to Harley, "And Harley, she rarely uses needles. And if she does, she makes it so that you never feel a thing."

-After a moment of thought, Alice and Harley looked at each other. Alice turned back to the Dark Knight and nodded her head. "I agree. On one condition…"

Alice drove her car down the street with Harley riding up front and Batman in the back seat on Alice's side. Batman was just glad he parked the Batmobile out of sight instead of in Alice's driveway. The part of town they were driving in looked like a breeding ground for criminals. The buildings, which had long been abandoned, were all riddled with decay, all of the trees lining the sidewalk were dead, over-turned garbage cans littered the sidewalk, rats scurried along the pavement eating garbage and squabbling over the finer scraps, and along the street were smashed cars with parts ripped off of them. As Alice continued to drive, she noticed a billboard that had originally had "PARKROW" written on it but now had something else spray-painted over it in red graffiti. _"Crime Alley?"_ Alice thought to herself, _this city just keeps getting more inviting by the minute._

-As Harley looked at Alice, she noticed for the first time how beautiful Alice was. She didn't know if it was her bright green eyes, her clear radiant skin, her ruby lips, or her autumn orange hair. Or if it was the fact that despite being in her middle ages she had the body and the build of a 30 year old, or if it was because she showed unconditional love and kindness to those in need, or if it was just because she was always there whenever Harley needed her. Alice noticed Harley looking at her and smiled. She stroked a few strands of hair that hung in front of Harley's face away. For some reason, Harley found herself enjoying Alice's touch. "It's gonna be okay, sweetie". When Alice removed her hand from Harley's head, she found herself feeling a bit saddened by the loss of her touch. Maybe it was because, as much as Harley would have hated to admit it, the Joker rarely gave her any sensual love. But something told Harley it was more than that. She found herself drawn to Alice, herself. But why?

-"Turn left up here," Batman said from the back seat. Alice obeyed. "That's it right there," he said pointing to a small building with a small stone staircase. There was a window on the door and written on it in gold letters was "THOMAS WAYNE MEMORIAL FREE CLINIC".

-"Thomas Wayne, now why does that name ring a bell?" Harley asked herself out loud. "Oh, wait! I know his son, Bruce. Oh" Harley sighed to herself romantically "What a hunk-a-hunk-a burnin love. I remember when he took me and Red Christmas shopping." Then her voice turned irritable. "Then _you_ had to ruin the fun" she said looking at Batman's seat out of the corner of her eye. She turned to him but he was gone. Harley turned and saw Batman was already standing at the doorway with a little old lady in her mid-late 60s with short grey hair. Batman turned to the car and motioned the 2 women over. Alice got out of her car and walked over to Harley's side. She opened the door and took Harley over her shoulder and helped her to the door.

Inside of her office, Dr. Thompkins took a look at Harley's injuries. "My God! What happened?"

-Harley told her nightmare to the good doctor. The farther she got into the story the higher her anxiety became. She never said Freddy's name or even gave a clear description. All she remembered about him was that he was a monster with a giant claw named "Mr. K". But it didn't matter. Alice knew who it was. By the time she was finished all Harley could think about were all of those faces of the people who must have been just as frightened as she was. And yet she showed them the same mercy 'Mr. K' would have shown her.

-Harley looked at Alice and saw that she was visibly uncomfortable. "Alice?"

-Alice snapped out of deep thought and looked at Harley. "Are you okay?"

-"Yeah, um, I just need to step outside for a minute. Could I please be excused for just a moment?"

-"Well, yes, I'm going to have to ask you to step outside anyway. I need Harley to remove her pants and shirt". Dr. Thompkins explained.

-"What?!" Harley blurted out, surprised.

-"Half of your entire back side is littered with scars. I can't have anything in my way while I'm treating them. Besides, your closes probably have germs on them that are working their way into your cuts as we speak".

-Harley looked uncomfortable. "Look, Harley, I've done this for years. And I promise to make this as painless as possible. But I need you to follow my directions" Dr. Thompkins said to her as friendly as possible.

-Harley gave a reluctant nod. "Good" Alice stated, "Just holler if you need me, Harley".

-Alice and Batman stepped out the room to give Harley some privacy. Once outside Alice walked out of the building and lit a cigarette. _"Who is Freddy?"_

-Alice turned around, startled, and saw Batman standing before her. She stood silently for a moment contemplating what to say. She knew that she had to tell Batman; Freddy was keeping his friend captive after all. But she also knew that by spreading Freddy's presence in the real world, she would run the risk of strengthening him. But it made no difference now; he had already killed 2 people, severely injured another, and almost killed Harley. Alice closed her eyes and sighed before speaking to the Dark Knight.

Back inside the building, Dr. Thompkins had just finished tending to Harley's cuts. She had washed away the blood from Harley's skin and applied a cool, smooth lotion along the left side of Harley's back region from her shoulder down to her leg where the cuts were formed. The lotion was meant to numb the area as Dr. Thompkins stitched the cuts up. Harley had become so relaxed by the time the lotion took effect that she wasn't even aware that the doctor was literally sewing her back together. But although Harley was physically relaxed, her mind was anything but. She had 2 things on her mind: her thoughts about Alice and the very first thoughts she ever had about the people who were part of the Joker's "Big Joke" and if she truly was just the punch line.

-"There you go my dear; good as new. It should be a few weeks before the wounds close back up completely so I suggest you try to avoid any extreme activities for at least the first 2 weeks …that includes going on crime sprees". Dr. Thompkins said with a serious tone at the end.

-"Yeah, sure doc, whateva you say". Harley said glumly as she dressed herself.

-Dr. Thompkins sensed the melancholy in Harley's voice and sighed, "Rough night, huh?"

-"You don't know the half of it. I've had my fair share of crazy nights but this entire week has been the scariest, by far".

-"I'll bet it was. And I know you don't like people telling you this, Harley, but when you give yourself over to people like-"

-"Don't, start with that." Harley said defensively. "That thought, alone, is starting to terrify me. But on top of that…I'm starting to feel things. Things that I've never felt before. I feel like I'm going crazy".

-"What kinds of things are you feeling Harley?"

-"Well…I feel like I don't know what's real or what's right anymore".

-"How do you mean?"

-"Well, I was told dreams aren't supposed to hurt you. But I felt every kind of pain imaginable in my dream, especially when my Puddin said he was just using me. What if that dream _was _real? He said he never though about anyone he hurt after he did it. And…I neither did I. I forgot all about those faces until they were starring me straight in the eyes. And the fear, and anger, and sadness that I saw…I never saw it until tonight. All this time, I thought I was doing them good. But you should have seen how hurt they were".

-Harley stopped to wipe her eyes and then continued. "And something else: I've never doubted the love I have with Mista J. Whenever Red would take me in when he threw me out she, would always tell me that I deserved better love than what he was giving me. She was the only person who loved me any differently than he did. In fact, she gave me everything I wanted from my Puddin. I always assumed she was the crazy one. That kind of love isn't just given away for free. You have to earn it. And I could never earn it from Mista j on account of me srewin up all the time. But Red, the most beautiful, strong, and perfect woman I had ever met just handed it out like Halloween candy. I mean, how could someone like her have open arms for a screw up like me; it's illogical.

But now a second person is caring for me just the same; even more actually. She doesn't care about my mistakes or the choices I make, she likes me for who I am. She doesn't hate anyone, she wants to make people happy. And…and-"

-"And she doesn't hurt you?" Dr. Thompkins interrupted.

-Harley placed both of her hands on her head and grabbed handfuls of her hair, growling in frustration. "I mean, are they both crazy? Is the Joker crazy? Am I crazy? I'm so confused!"

-_"It sounds to me like you're awake"_, a voice said from the doorway. Harley and Dr. Thompkins turned and saw Alice standing in the doorway.

-"Alice, h-how long have you been there". Harley asked, surprised.

-"Long enough, Harley".

-Harley didn't know what to say. She just looked down. Alice walked over to her.

-"Harley, look at me". Harley slowly turned her head and looked into Alice's eyes. "What you're feeling right now is probably the first sign of you opening your eyes for the first time. You're starting to see and think for yourself. You're starting to see things for what they are instead of what you were lead to believe they were".

-Then it hit Harley. "You mean…mind over matter".

-Alice paused for a moment. "More like...matter over mind" Alice said with a smile. This caused Harley to smile as well.

-"Harley, I won't make you do this if you don't want to. But if you want me to help you build a new life for yourself, I'll have therapy meetings with you everyday. I'll help you turn over a whole new leaf and become a better person. That way you can have a normal life, out of Arkham and in the world of opportunity. Of course…that would mean visiting Arkham one last time".

-Harley was silent for a moment. Then she began to smile. "As long as I get to see you, Mises J, I'll _live_ in Arkham". Then Harley wrapped her arms around Alice and she returned the embrace, careful not to press down on the bandages covering Harley's stitches. They stayed that way for a few seconds before Dr. Thompkins spoke.

-"We'll I'll be damned. I can't wait to see Batman's face when he hears this news".

-Harley opened her eyes. "Say Alice, where is B-Man anyway".

-"Oh, he's gone. He left a long time ago. He went off to do some 'dream chasing'. In the meantime…" Alice took out a _Hypnocil _tablet from her purse, "I need to provide better sleeping conditions for you and the other patients at Arkham".

-"What do ya mean?"

-"Remember that monster that you saw in your sleep?" Harley nervously nodded.

-"If you take this before going to sleep, not only can I guarantee you the most relaxing sleep you will ever have, but I can also reassure you that you will never see that horrible creature ever again"

-Harley looked at the tablet being held in front of her. She suddenly remembered Alice taking this pill before she went to bed earlier. Only now, Harley had forgotten what, exactly, it did. But at this point she didn't care. That was the worst nightmare she had ever had by far. And if Alice was guaranteeing her a goodnight's sleep just by taking it, then she felt no reason to decline. She took the _Hypnocil._

_MEANWHILE…_

-Poison Ivy laid balled up on her small rectangular mattress in her, or rather Harley's, cell. She didn't have the company of her plants to make her feel more at home and the thought that they were just next door, less than an arm's reach away, and she couldn't even touch them angered her to no end. But at the moment, something else was on her mind, something that vastly outweighed her anger. And that was whether or not Harley was safe. How on earth could she have allowed her to be taken away by an Arkham doctor? And if she didn't bring Harley here, then what was the doctor doing to her? How Poison Ivy managed to catch even a wink of sleep that night was far beyond comprehension, especially to her. But she did, and she began to feel better as she drifted off into silent slumber. Whenever Poison Ivy was locked in Arkham like a caged zoo animal there was only one other thing besides her plants that got her through the insanity that surrounded her: her dreams.

-In a lush green field, dozens of small children laughed and ran through the grass. The field was inside of a jungle setting where everything was bright and vibrant and full of life. It was like a second Eden. There were other children swinging on the vines, climbing through the trees, and lying in fields of flowers. There were flowers of every conceivable kind and some had completely unusual colors ranging from green, blue, to purple. The trees were abundant in fruit that hung like Christmas ornaments. Butterflies, hummingbirds, even fireflies flew carelessly through the sky casting light and color in the skies of the Eden. And right in the center was a massive spring with a series of rivers that was being feed by a waterfall that fell from an unknown source directly from the sky.

-On the bank of the spring, dipping her long, elegant legs in the crystal-clear water, was Poison Ivy. But this was a different Poison Ivy. For although this one was adorned in green attire made from leaves and flower pedals, her skin was pale white. As she sat on the edge of the spring, someone came up from behind her and placed their hands over her eyes.

-"_Guess who, Mother Nature"_, said the voice of a little girl.

-"Hmmmmmm… Gee, I don't know. It could be anyone", Ivy said playfully. The little girl laughed.

-"Is it…Lindsey?"

-"_Nooooo_"

-"Sheryl?"

-"_Getting warmer_?"

-"Dimitri?"

-"_Dimitri's a boy_!"

-"Well darn, I give up! You're just too good".

-"It's me Mother Nature! Rosie!"

-"Oh! Of course, my sweet little Rosie!"

-Poison Ivy turned around and was face to face with a little girl about 6 or 7 years old. She had deep blue eyes and long blonde hair tied up in pigtails. Rosie ran up to her and tackled her, sending Ivy and herself falling backward into the spring. Poison Ivy surfaced holding Rosy in her arms. She kissed the side of Rosie's head and the two touched foreheads for a few second. Rosie playfully squirted water into Ivy's face and the 2 laughed as they engaged in a splash fight.

-As night fell, the fireflies danced across the sky creating a display of stars against the dark shade. All the children were curled up in beds made of leaves and were sleeping peacefully. Ivy sat by Rosie's bed.

-Rosie reached under her covers and took out a bracelet made from the petals of various flowers. "I made this for you Mother Nature".

-"You did!" Ivy whispered enthusiastically.

-"Yeah, I wanted to make something as pretty as you".

-"How could I have raised something so sweet?" Ivy asked happily. She extended her arms motioning Rosie to give her a huge. Rosie obeyed. Sometime later Rosie was lying in her bed with Ivy s hand stroking her hand. Ivy was humming a soothing lullaby to the child and when she saw that she was fast asleep, she leaned down to kiss her. But right before her lip made contact with her forehead, the girl shot up, wide-awake, and in a loud, hyper voice shouted "HIA RED!"

-Poison Ivy shot up from her cell bed startled. She looked about her surroundings trying to see what just happened and then she caught sight of Harley standing right in front of her with a humongous smile.


	14. Chapter 13: Truth or Doubt

_Nightmare in Arkham_

Chapter 13: "Truth or Doubt"

-In the Batcave, Batman sat at his computer researching every single detail Alice had given him. He had been had at work all night and so far everything Alice had said about Freddy was true. Batman had found a mug shot of Freddy prior to being burned that dated back to 1974. His face stared straight at the camera with vicious eyes. He had not the slightest trace of emotion in his face but, looking at the picture, Batman noticed one side of his closed mouth was curved upward in what looked like a hidden smile. After seeing what he did to the children, those poor, innocent children who didn't even look like they were given the chance to see the age of 10, Batman could feel the anger starting fester in his mind.

-Batman remembered the time when he discovered the child slave racket being run by the Sewer King within Gotham's sewer system. He remembered how his blood boiled at the sight of all of those children deprived of their joy, their innocence, and given nothing but pain and fear. He remembered how tempted he was to kill him, to flush him out into the ocean and leave him for fish food. Well, this was much, much worse. This man burned children and threw them in dumpsters, he carved the eyes out of little girls, he peeled the skin from their bodies while they were still alive, and, in one of the most horrid stories Batman had ever heard, he completely dismantled and burned a little girl and left the remains on the mother's doorstep. Batman felt sick with each passing detail he read.

-And then there was the technicality in court that set him free. In the article, Batman read a quote from one of the officers, _"I almost pulled the trigger"_ which was followed by the quote of the officer's wife _"What stopped you?"_ For the first time, Batman almost felt like he agreed. And as he read on, Batman came across the part that Alice claimed sparked the Elm Street massacres. Batman wondered if he would have stood alongside the Springwood residents as they sent this unholy abomination to Hell where he belonged. The Joker hadn't even displayed the amount of sadism as Fred Krueger.

-Then came the Elm Street murders:

*_Tina Grey- Found in her parent's bedroom with 4 giant slashes running down her chest and stomach _

_*Glen Lantz- Body completely liquefied to pool of blood accumulating from his bed_

_*Ronald Kincad-Found in his bed with 4 stab wounds just under the chest_

_*Joey Crusel-Found by his mother floating face-up within his own waterbed_

_*Kristen Parker-Found burned to death while sleeping in her bed_

_*Nancy Tompson-Found with 4 stab wounds in her ribcage._

-Hundreds of other murders followed. Each of the victims had been asleep at the time of their deaths and most of them bared four wounds that had come from a serrated/pointed weapon. Many of the victims had made video recordings that had since been posted to the internet where they described a severely burned man wearing a red and green sweater, a brown fedora hat, and a glove with razor fingers on the right hand and they all gave the same name: Freddy Krueger. They described the children who would appear before them and sing the frightening nursery rhyme and the hellish boiler room that they always found themselves inside of upon falling asleep. Many of the victims showed signs that they had not slept in days, even weeks. Some of them even went so far as to burn their arms with cigarette lighters during the recording to stay awake. One of them had even cut off their own eyelids. They claimed their parents wouldn't listen to them, they felt like they were going insane, and some claimed they had lost the ability to tell dreams from reality.

-Batman's rage began to subside as he now saw a painful irony: the Springwood citizens had done the one thing Batman had sworn he would never do and they killed a person who probably deserved it more than anyone he had ever encountered and it had supposedly lead to the same results as the ones that forbade Batman from going to such extreme measures: the creation of an even greater evil.

-The nightmare dragged on for 5 years before one local teen, whose name had been disclosed by the request of the mother, who also remained anonymous, allegedly caught and killed the dream demon. He claimed he had figured out that Freddy could be brought into the real world when a victim held onto his body as they woke up. The teen had supposedly planted a homemade bomb inside of the dreaded "1428 Attraction" and blew himself, and Freddy, to pieces. While many of the teens recognized this as an act of heroism, the blame for the murders had been placed on the teen because he had shown signs of abnormal mental stability and his sanity had been called into question more than once, as was the mother's. The only piece of evidence found at the crime scene that supported the claims of the surviving youths was Freddy's hat.

-Then a recent story on the subject caught Batman's eye, one that dated back only a week ago. A man had reportedly broken into a police station in Springwood and left a handful of officers in a state of mental distress before making off with the hat that was recovered from the crime scene. Batman scrolled to a picture of the suspect and was stunned to see the picture of Jonathan Crane.

-Batman turned back to his worktable where the chemical sample he had been examining from Scarecrow's hideout still sat under the microscope. Batman took the red and green cloth from his utility belt and studied it for a few moments. He got up and made his way to the worktable. There he placed a piece of the cloth under the microscope to examine the fibers. Batman's eyes widened in shock when he looked under the microscope: the fibers carried the exact same DNA found in the chemical. Batman didn't know what to think, but he now knew this meant one thing: the nightmare had just begun.

_MEANWHILE…_

-Poison Ivy had Harley wrapped tightly in her arms. "Oh my God, Harley, thank God you're okay! I was so worried about you!"

-"Um, Red" Harley said with restricted breath, "You're crushing me".

-Poison Ivy released her grip. "Harley, what happened last night? I barely got any sleep last night because I was afraid of what that hell doctor may have done to you".

-"Hell doctor? What are you talking about?"

-"I was told one of the doctors at Arkham took you away and-"

-"Oh, that! No Red, she's not a hell doctor, not at all. She's my new friend".

-Poison Ivy froze. "Harley…what happened last night?"

-Harley sat down next to Ivy on the bed and weaved her the story about how Alice rescued her, how they shared the moment over her video and the "mind over matter" moment, and how she convinced Harley to turn herself in so she could give her a better life.

-Ivy felt wounded deep inside. Not only was someone there for Harley when she neglected to be there, but she "had a moment" with her? Ivy could not think of anytime when she and Harley had a moment. 4 years of non-stop devotion to Harley, always taking care of her when she needed comfort and support, constantly trying to steer Harley toward her and away from the Joker and failing every time, and now a complete stranger, one who works in the place that held her prisoner no less, comes along and she bonds with her in one night and she already encouraged Harley to make a change in her life? Where did she go wrong? She treated Harley with every bit of love and care that she could muster and the one time she fails someone else steps in and replaces her? Ivy's mind and been thrown into complete disarray. A part of her wanted to cry but she would not allow herself to. She had sworn that as the Toxic Terror of Gotham she would never give any tears, not even for herself. Besides, she had shed all the tears she intended a long time ago.

-"Red? Red?" Ivy snapped out of her thoughts and looked at Harley, "What's wrong?"

-_I'm just a tool to you, that's what! _"Nothing Harley", she said calmly.

-"So have you met Dr. Johnson yet?"

-"No"

-"Oh I can't wait til you meet her! She's the kindest, sweetest, most badass woman you'll ever get to know! And-"

-"She sounds nice, Harley", Ivy said with out any enthusiasm.

-"Say Red, something seems the matter. What's up?"

-"I'm tired"

-"Well, ya did say you were up all night so I guess that would make sense."

-_I was up thinking about YOU!_ "I guess it would".

-"Why don't ya go back to your cell and catch some shut eye, Red. I'm sure your babies really miss their mommy". Poison Ivy closed her eyes and cringed.

-"Yeah, okay". Ivy got up off the bed. Harley got up after her and wrapped her arms around her in a tight bear hug. "Sweet dreams" Harley pecked her on the cheek "My Poison Oakey!"

-"_Ivy"_ She said irritably.

-"Oh! Someone's a cranky pants. Come on, let's put a smile on that face" Harley said as she gently traced small circles on Ivy's cheek. Ivy just shrugged and walked past Harley. A guard opened the cell and Ivy stepped out. Harley was about to say something but the minute Ivy stepped out of her cell she immediately walked out of her sight and stood in front of her cell waiting to be let in. Her body hunched down with emotional weight.

-After Ivy was inside her cell the guard turned back to Harley. "Well, come on" he said motioning Harley out of the cell.

-"What, why are-"

-"Ya want breakfast, don't ya?"

-"Oh, yeah, hehe, things have been so hectic lately I haven't even thought about food".

-Inside the lunchroom Harley looked around for a place to sit. Usually she would sit with the Joker or Poison Ivy. But since neither of them were present, she had to find somewhere else to sit. Harley didn't want to sit alone, but she wasn't comfortable with how a lot of the inmates were looking at her as she passed by the tables.

-_"YoHo! Miss Quinn, over here!"_ called a thick English voice. Harley turned around and saw Penguin with his arm raised in the air looking over at Harley. Sitting alongside him were Two-Face, Riddler, and Killer Croc. Harley smiled, happy to see a few familiar faces.

-"Hey Pengie, Crokie, Eddie, Dentie" she said happily.

-"Call me that again and I'll split you down the middle", Two-face said angrily.

-"You sure you don't want to _flip _on that?" Riddler asked sarcastically.

-Two-Face growled angrily.

-"Don't mind him", Riddler said turning to Harley, "He's just a bit groggy from Ivy's little hissy fit waking him up".

-"She woke me up because of _you!"_ Two-Face said pointing to Harley.

-"Me! What did I do?"

-"She busted in here last night to save your sorry ass and Catwoman apparently locked her back in", Killer Croc chimed in.

-"Wait, when did she bust _out?"_

-"Around the same time Scarecrow kicked the bucket" Croc answered.

-Harley opened her mouth to speak but stopped before the words formed. "Wait a minute, what did you say about Scarecrow?"

-The four villains froze and turned to Harley. "You mean…you haven't heard?" Riddler asked.

-"Heard what?"

-The villains exchanged looks. "Well Harley," Penguin said regretfully "Quite sometime ago…our frightful friend, Dr. Crane, met with a most unfortunate affliction."

-"What?"

-"The poor son-of-a-bitch got incinerated in his hideout about a week ago". Two-Face said unsympathetically.

-Harley's eyes widened in shock. "Oh my God! Does Jervis know about this?"

-The villains froze in place. Killer Croc, who was guzzling down a bottle of water, abruptly choked on it and coughed it out. They all shot their heads toward Harley again. "Um, Harley…he's dead too", Riddler said.

-Harley couldn't believe what she was hearing. "What…how…when?!"

-"Just last night," Killer Croc said.

-"Yup, he got his head cut off, right at the table where he and Scarecrow used to play chess. That's 2 ironies for the price of one". Two-Face added

-"Indeed" said Penguin, "They were both the merriest of chaps and they will be greatly missed," he said lowering his head in silence.

-"Well, at least we can take comfort knowing they're both in a better place", Harley said to Penguin reassuringly placing a hand on his shoulder.

-"Yeah, yeah, we're all comin apart at the seams" Killer Croc said without concern "How's about you tell us how you wound up back in here? Did Joker rat you out again?"

-"No, actually, I turned myself in".

-The villains all stared blankly at Harley. "What on earth could have driven you to such a daft act my child?" Penguin asked both confused and concerned.

-"Yeah" Riddler chimed in, "Who would willingly put themselves in a house filled with a bunch of loud, barbaric, mentally unstable twits?" Two-Face and Croc both shot him an angry stare.

-"Well, see, about a week ago Mista J threw me out again-"

-"Big shock" Two-Face said sarcastically. Harley glared at him.

-"And then this lady, who works right here at Arkham, Dr. Alice Johnson, took me in and we bonded and she told me she would give me a whole new life so-"

-Harley stopped when she noticed all the villains, except Penguin and Two-Face, were holding back laughter, which they eventually let out with sheer amusement.

-"Oh my God! Oh my God! Wait! Wait…_Dr. Johnson, _the little red-headed alley cat,'took you in' and made you come back here?" The Riddler asked.

-"Alley cat?!" Harley asked offended.

-"A few of the inmates have stuck that nickname to her" Penguin explained "Alice the Alley Cat".

-"And why is _that?"_ Harley demanded.

-"Because she tries to look tough, but when we look at her all we can think about is that red hot pussy" Killer Croc said.

-Harley was absolutely disgusted by the remark but before she could retort, the Riddler interrupted her. "Oh, come now, Crockers, she may be easy on the eyes but that woman is dull as a rock. I mean, she really thinks she can reach us by spewing all that 'life's not so bad', 'give people a chance' bullshit? I've heard the same crap from at least 15 different doctors, and I'm sure you all have too, and you probably knew how much nonsense they were trying to feed you only to find out you were right. And yet here she is thinking she's being 'original', I even think she's under the impression she's succeeding. What a little fool!" The villains all laughed, with the exception of Penguin, whose higher standards would not allow him to stoop to such childish behavior. He rolled his eyes and got up and waddled over to the salad bar for a second helping of sardines.

-Harley would not stand for anymore. "Shut up!" she shouted slamming her fist on the table. Practically every table in the cafeteria had heard her and they all turned to the source of the noise. "How could you scumbags sit here and show this much disrespect to someone trying to help you? You don't have a clue what that lady's been through!"

-"And _you _do?" Two-Face asked.

-"Yeah, as a matter of fact, Puke Face, I do. She told me things, _showed_ me things-"

-"Sounds like another Joker story" Riddler said. "Tell me, how has the Joker treated you since the day he told you all those stories?"

-Harley was about to tell him it was none of his business but fell silent before she had a chance, then a feeling of uneasiness washed over her. What if everything Alice told her _was_ a lie? She had already started to question how much the Joker loved her, now she had to question _Alice's _love for her too? No, if she didn't care about her then why did she go out of her way to save her?

-"No! This is nothing like the Joker! Alice saved my life twice last night. She fought off Batman's goon to keep me out of Arkham and-"

-"And yet here you are" Riddler interrupted again, "And why is that? Oh, that's right, because she convinced you to turn yourself in".

-Harley's froze like a statue. "Face it Harley, you couldn't tell if someone was lying to you if they carved it on your face".

-"Then how do I know _you're_ not the liar?!"

-"Tell ya what, sweet-cheeks" Two-Face said, "Why don't ya flip on it? The truth always reveals itself in some way or another; believe me, I know. This coin has never steered me wrong before" He said handing Harley a silver coin.

-Harley took the coin and looked at it. "What the hell am I supposed to do with this?"

-"Simple: just flip it. Heads means the Alley Cat really is fond of you, as well as all of us, tails means she's just waiting for the right moment to pounce". Two-Face explained

-"That's ridiculous!"

-"Then what's the harm in doing it?" Riddler asked, "You're not _afraid _of the truth, are you?"

-"No…no I just, um-"

-"Then flip it already!" Croc said impatiently.

-"Fine!" Harley shouted. She placed the coin on the thumb of her hand and flicked it upward causing the coin to spin through the air. After a few seconds, the coin fell back down and Harley's hand snapped shut around it as it landed in her palm. Suddenly, Harley felt her anxiety begin to rise, but she didn't know why. She stood silently looking at her clenched fist. Why did she suddenly feel so afraid to see the result? It wasn't like it was going to mean anything.

-"_Well_…" a voice asked. Harley looked up, and for the first time she saw that every inmate, and even some of the guards, had crowded around her waiting for the results. Harley looked at all of the deviant faces starring at her like a cruel audience waiting for her to choke on stage. Her palms began to sweat, her fist shook, her eyes now displayed the worry inside of her mind, and Harley had a feeling these jerks could see it clearly written on her face. _What if…What if they're right? Oh God, why is this happening? Okay, calm down, it's just a stupid coin…At least I hope it is._

-Harley slowly turned her trembling fist over into her other hand and released the coin. She felt it drop into her other palm, signifying the truth being revealed. Suddenly, after feeling the coin hit her hand, Harley started to breathe erratically. She felt dizzy and she found it extremely difficult to keep her balance. Harley involuntarily squeezed her hand over the coin as her senses started to come undone and, just as she began to faint, she heard a female voice yelling her name.

-Alice caught Harley just before she made impact with the hard floor. She snatched a glass of water from a table close by and slashed the cold liquid on Harley's face causing her to snap awake.

-"HUH?! What?! Where?!..." Harley looked around, disoriented but conscious. Harley looked at her hand that held the coin, which was still balled into a fist.

-"NO! GET IT AWAY FROM ME!" Harley screamed as she hurled the coin across the room. A handful of inmates raced toward the coin hoping to claim it as their own.

-"It's okay, Harley, come on," Alice said gently as she held her close "Let's get you out of here". Before Alice put an arm around Harley and led her out of the lunchroom, she turned to the 3 villains and glared at them. "And you all wonder why society wants you in here". This angered Two-Face and Croc but the Riddler remained relatively calm. Alice turned her glare to the crowd that still stared at them. "What are _you_ guys looking at? You waiting for a play to start?" she asked irritably. The inmates turned back around and resumed their meals.

-As they walked away, Killer Croc stood up from the table and angrily began to walk toward them but the Riddler blocked him. "Just let it go Croc. We'll get her when the time is right". Killer Croc growled angrily but ultimately decided to listen to the Riddler.

-"Who does that bitch think she is telling us society hates us because of who we are?" Croc asked bitterly.

-"She's a _part_ of that society, that's what. Someone like her could never understand. Don't worry, we'll deal with her just like the rest" the Riddler assured.

-Croc nodded in agreement. Then they turned to Two-Face. "You seem relatively calm. I'd think you'd be having a panic attack like Harley. You do realize your precious coin is now in someone else's pocket, right?" Riddler asked.

-Two-Face reached into his coat pocket and took out a silver coin that bared a scratch on one side. "You really think I'd let anyone else touch this coin?"

-"Wait, so the one you gave Harley was-"

-"Just a coin, yes".

-"So, that whole scene was all for nothing?" Riddler asked.

-Two-Face nodded. Riddler chuckled amusingly "My God, Harvey, I never took you as one to have a sense of humor"

-"I don't, I just wanted to give that little kiss ass a chance to defend her claim and she failed".

-"And you did using lies and deception, just like the attorney you were born to be. You truly are a two-face"

-Two-Face leaned in and very sternly said "And don't you forget it".

Alice walked Harley back to her room. Harley had remained quite the entire walk. Before Alice opened the door to Harley's cell, she turned to her. "Wanna talk about it?" She asked sincerely.

-Harley stood still for a moment before nodding. Alice opened the door and sat with Harley on her bed. Harley didn't know how or where to start. "I…I…I started to…have doubts again".

-"About what?"

-"About who I could trust".

-"I see…and who don't you think you can trust?"

-"Well, that's the thing, I don't know".

-After a pause, Harley had thought of decent question to ask. "You knew, from the first time you saw me, who I was and what I had done. Why did you treat me so kindly? Why didn't you get behind Batgirl?"

-Alice smiled at Harley. "Because, I believe in the best of humanity".

-Harley still looked unsure. "What did those guys say to you, Harley?"

-"Well…they said a lot of mean things about you. They said that-"

-"I'm an Alley Cat? I'm a cliché? I'm a bitch? I-"

-"They said you tricked me into turning myself in", Harley said without thinking. She gasped and covered her mouth when she realized what she had blurted out.

-"So you don't think you can trust me?" Alice asked sincerely.

-Harley frantically tried to recover from her mistake, "NO! It's not that! It's just that…after the Joker…I just, I mean they-"

-"Harley" Alice said. Harley fell silent, "You're worrying too much. Those guys back there…they said those things because they've _all _had someone stab them in the back. The truth is you made the decision to come here. You made the decision to seek help and turn your life around. Those creeps don't have a clue what they're talking about. Don't let nonsense like that get to you".

-Harley smiled, "You're right. My head's just been a little jumbled since last night".

-"Is there anything else on your mind, Harley?"

-Harley pondered for a moment on whether or not to bring up the _other _thing on her mind. _Alice, I think you're a wonderful person. And I feel things when I'm around you. I don't even know if I should be feeling these things about you, but it feels so right. I want to be with you, spend as much time with you as I possibly can. I love you as much as I love Red, but this love feels different. Is this normal? Is this-_

-"Harley?" Alice called. Harley snapped out of her thought.

-"Oh, um, no, I think that's all".

-"Well alrighty, kido, I guess I'll see you this afternoon".

-"What happens this afternoon?"

-"Group meeting. You and the rest of the patients are going to meet with me and discuss you're thoughts, feelings, and issues, not just with me, but also with each other".

-"Why would we need to do that?"

-"Because I think it's beneficial for patients to talk to each-other about their problems instead of just the psychiatrist. That way, some of the others could possibly relate their experiences with one another and we can all work as a team to get help one another through hardships we all face".

-"I guess that makes sense but you're talking about putting Bane, Killer Croc, and all those other super psychos in one room? With you alone with them?" Harley asked sounding completely unsure of this decision.

-"I've been doing it since day one, Harley; the sessions are always closely monitored and there's help on stand by incase something goes wrong. And so far there haven't been any problems".

-Harley didn't know what to think of this. Alice was either the bravest or the craziest woman she had ever met. She was basically throwing herself into a piranha tank hoping that they would just swim by without even noticing her. But all it would take is just one bite from one fish and then she'd have an entire barrage of teeth coming at her. But if anyone could handle herself in a risky situation, it was Alice.

-"Relax, kido, I got ole zappy on stand by as an extra precaution".

-Harley laughed, sounding calmer. "Well, okay then".

-"Alright Harley, I gotta go do a few one on ones for a while. Just relax for a while and clear your mind", at the mention of "clearing the mind" Alice was reminded of something. "Say, speaking of which, how did the _Hypnocil_ treat you?"

-"Oh my God, that stuff is fantastic! I don't think I've ever slept that peacefully in my entire life".

-"Good. I'm expecting it to start being distributed to each patient starting sometime today. In the meantime-" Alice was cut off when she looked at Harley and saw her kind, warming smile. Alice smiled back and she a she gently hugged Harley.

"You're going to do great, kido, I can see it in in your face and I can feel it in my bones".

-When Alice let Harley go she looked at Alice and asked, "Do you really think I'll be able to change my life completely? Do you really think I can be accepted in society as normal person?"

-"With me helping you, I don't have a doubt in the world".

-Alice walked out of the cell and closed the door, keeping an unbroken smile with Harley the whole time. After they waved goodbye, Alice started down the hallway.

On the other side of the wall that held Harley's bed, Poison Ivy had been listening to the conversation and now her hurt had turned to anger.

-"That little bitch. So that's her game, huh: make people think she's their friend so she can brainwash them into thinking that she's their salvation?" Ivy knew the truth now: Harley didn't replace her with another woman; another woman had manipulated her, just like the Joker. "I'm gonna kill that bitch the first chance I get" she whispered to herself angrily as she watched Alice walk away

Not far down the hall, she heard someone call her name. She turned and saw Dr. Leland with her head poking out of the door of her office, motioning Alice to come in. Alice walked into her office and took her seat in front of Dr. Leland's desk as Dr. Leland sat down in front of her.

-"Alright, so, I've just been informed that your request has been granted. We will start administering the _Hypnocil _drug to the inma-I mean patients, effective as of today."

-"Oh thank God" Alice said to herself relieved.

-Dr. Leland looked at her confused. "What is this all about Alice? Why are you so determined to repress your patients dreams?"

-Alice sighed. "Joan…I wish more than anything that I could give you the details; but this is one problem where talking about it will make it _worse._ I don't intend to do this for very long, just a few week maybe. And by then this problem will have died out. In the meantime, Batman and I have agreed to work together and see if we can resolve this matter sooner".

-Dr. Leland was silent for a moment as she let Alice's words sink in. "I really hope you know what you're doing, Alice".

-"So do I, Joan, so do I".

Freddy chuckled to himself from inside of the dream world as he listened in on Alice. "That's right, give those little meat packages all the drugs you want. Let them have a few more nights of sweet dreams. Cause after I'm done re-modeling this place" Freddy pulled out the card he took from Mad Hatter and held it in front of him between his claws "No one will sleep".


	15. Chapter 14: Breakthrough (Part 1)

_Nightmare in Arkham_

Chapter 14A: "Breakthrough"-Part 1

-By now, Barbara Gordon's emotions had been shattered. She had watched everyone and everything she ever cared about die around her in a nightmare pool of blood and fire. She was ready to submit. Even death seemed like it would provide a massive relief from this suffering. Because now, all Barbara could do was close her eyes. Otherwise, she would be forced to gaze upon Gotham City as it now lay in ruins. The bodies of the people Barbara had fought so hard to protect were scattered all around and whenever she would look in their eyes, she would see the same pleading fear that she knew was etched onto her own face. She couldn't scream anymore, she was too emotionally strained to do so, and there wasn't much use anyway. So now she just calmly and despairingly begged, "Kill me, please. Just end it. I'm ready to die." A tear slowly ran down her face.

In the real world Batman was outside of Barbara's room in an argument with Alice. "What do you mean 'we can't give her the _Hypnocil?'"_

-"Exactly what I said," Alice said bluntly, "Look, believe me, I wish it were that easy, but you have no idea what kind of harm that drug can do if it's taken the wrong way."

-"Can it do any more harm than what that dream stalker's doing to-"

-"Shhhh! Keep your voice down" Alice whispered, "And _yes, _believe it or not, it _can._ This drug is actually illegal in some parts of the country because of what it does when it's taken wrong, like when the person is already dreaming for example"

-Batman closed his mouth and decided to let Alice explain. "When this drug is taken while the user is still awake, it works like any other sleep medication. But if it's slipped into someone while they're already asleep; it doesn't just kill the dream from the inside: it kills the brain as well. Meaning Barbara will spend the rest of her life like this" Alice motioned to Barbara's unconscious body from the doorway.

-Batman was dismayed. _Then, she'll be in pain no matter which option we take. _"So what do we do?"

-"There's only one thing we can do: We have to drag her out of the dream world. That's the only chance she has. When I saw him in the dream world, he told me he was 'saving her for last'. And he has quite a large hit list".

-"Who else is he targeting?"

-"Me, you, my patients, and her."

-"So how do we find him?"

-"Oh trust me, he'll find us. And when he does, we find Barbara."

-Alice looked up and her eyes caught sight of someone slowly walking toward them. Batman noticed and turned around to see Gordon slowly making his way toward Barbara's room. He stared straight ahead but didn't seem like he was actually looking at anything. His expression was filled with worry and his eyes filled with fatigue.

-"Her dad?" Alice whispered to Batman, who nodded.

-When Gordon made it to the door he slowly walked past Batman and Alice, he didn't even seem to be aware of their presence. They watched Gordon as he slowly turned toward his daughter as he walked past the foot of her bed and took a seat beside her. Then, he kept his eyes fixed on Barbara as if anticipating her to awaken at any given second.

-Alice entered the room and slowly made her way toward Gordon, keeping her eyes on him and his daughter the whole way. Alice stopped right beside Gordon and stared down at Barbara. After a few moments of silence, Alice said to Gordon, "From what Batman's told me, you have quite an amazing daughter, Mr. Gordon". Gordon didn't respond but gave a faint nod.

-"I know what you're feeling. I had a son named Jacob a long time ago" Alice took out a small picture from her coat pocket and held it in front of Gordon. In the picture, a younger Alice was shown smiling to the camera with her arms wrapped around a smiling, eight–year-old boy with thick brown hair. "He was the best experience of my entire life. But then one day" Alice fell silent. She closed her eyes and swallowed the memory. "Well, your kid's different. Your kid's still alive. And that means she still has a fighting chance for a breakthrough. Don't lose hope on her. From what your friend's told me about her, she would fight to the bitter end. And I'm sure that's what she'd want you to do as well".

-After a long silence Gordon finally spoke, "Ya know, Dr. Johnson, you remind me so much of her: you have the same hope and optimism that got her as far as she's gone these past 25 years. And if that's true, Jacob was lucky to have you as a mother".

-Alice smiled at Gordon and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Thank you" she said. Alice then looked at her watch to check the time. Her group meeting at Arkham was only an hour away. She thought it best to start making her way back so as not to be late. She turned to the door, expecting to see Batman, but he had disappeared. Alice was stunned; she didn't even hear him walk away.

-"He tends to do that a lot", Gordon said to her, almost hinting a touch of humor in his voice.

Alice sat inside of a large room in Arkham Asylum. There was a big circle of empty chairs that stood around her. Alice's chair was the one closest to the exit in case any of the patients decided to cause her any harm. Meanwhile, Dr. Leland would be sitting inside of a separate room with cameras that monitored each individual patient and allowed her to see which one was ready to attack. Then, with a push of a button, she could send a team of guards down to the room and have the patient restrained before any serious harm could be done to Alice.

-As Alice was sitting in her chair, she heard the door open behind her. She turned around and saw Harley entering the room.

-"Hey Harl" Alice said with a smile, "You're early".

-"Yeah, I know, I wanted to be sure I could grab a chair next to you"

-Alice patted the first chair to her left, allowing Harley to have a seat, "We'll come on over and get comfy".

-As Harley took her seat, Dr. Leland watched from her cameras. She was both fascinated and happy with how much of an impact Alice had made on Harley. Out of all of the inmates littering Arkham, the one that Dr. Leland always had the most hope for saving was Harley. This was mostly because she was Harley's mentor when she first interned as Arkham and felt the 2 of them were starting to become friends…until the Joker happened. After Harley Quinn was born, Dr. Leland had all but given up any hope that Harleen Quinzel would ever return. But after a few years, Dr. Leland realized that if she couldn't bring Harleen back, maybe she could make Harley a better person. She almost succeeded until a misunderstanding over a dress caused her to fall back into her routine. But now Alice had come along and made more progress with Harley in one night than any of the doctors had in years. "It looks like there's hope for you yet, kid", she said with a smile.

-Dr. Leland watched Harley and Alice talk and giggle like a pair of BFFs gossiping at the mall for about 15 minutes before a guard entered the room announcing the arrival of the other inmates. Her smile faded. "Show time," she said aloud.

-As Harley and Alice looked on, Penguin, Two-Face, Riddler, and Killer Croc stepped into the room. As they passed Alice, she noticed them looking at her out of the corner of their eyes before taking their seats in the chairs across from her and Harley. Harley glared at them angrily. Then Alice heard a loud footstep from behind and when she turned around there was a hulking giant that stood almost seven feet tall with bulging muscles entering the room.

-"Hello Dorrance," Alice said to him.

-The hulking man smiled at her and in a thick, South American accent replied, "The pleasure is all mine, Dr. Johnson."

-After he took his seat Harley whispered to Alice, "I thought his name was Bane".

-"I like to address my patients by their real names, if they don't protest against it".

-After Bane came in, the guards wheeled in giant glass containment. The inside of the containment had ice cycles frozen to the ceiling and it was visibly freezing. The containment had a venting system that controlled the temperature inside and right now it was set to subzero. There was also a small megaphone on top of the containment that allowed the person inside to communicate with the people outside. The person inside was a tall, bald man with icy blue skin.

-"Good afternoon, Victor".

-"What's good about it?" He asked in a robotic voice

-"Ok, well, is this everyone?" Alice asked

-"Not quite" said the guard, "We had a little escapee brought back to us last night".

-As Alice looked at the door and Poison Ivy casually strolled into the room.

-"RED!"

-_That's Red? _Alice thought to herself, _More like Green. This must be the plant woman._ Alice starred in utter amazement at Poison Ivy's supernatural appearance. She looked like something straight out of a science fiction movie.

-"Red, come sit over here. That way I can sit between my 2 bestest friends!" Harley said motioning her to the empty seat to her left.

-Poison Ivy smiled at her. Then she turned her gaze back to Alice and saw her starring at her dumbfounded.

-"You keep starring at me like that, I'm gonna have to start charging you extra" She said bluntly.

-"Oh, right, um," Alice looked at her roster "You must be…Pamela Isley. That's a really pretty name".

-"That name is dead to me" Poison Ivy replied, "The name's Poison, Poison Ivy. And trust me: you don't want me under your skin," she said with her eyes narrowed on Alice.

-"Geez, Red, lighten up. She's just trying to be nice," Harley said to her.

-"Yeah, yeah, let's just get this over with", Poison Ivy said taking her seat next to Harley.

-"Alright, Miss Johnson, just call us if you need anything", the guard said as he closed the door.

-Alice turned back to her patients. "So, how is everyone doing today?"

-"About the same as the past few years" Two-Face said, "Miserable, angry, and on the brink of losing our minds."

-"I'm assuming you've all heard about the events of last night".

-"Heard about it?" Riddler asked, "I barely got any sleep because of it".

-_That's really nice_ "If any of you have any thoughts, words, feelings, anything that you'd like to express regarding the incident, feel free to do so. I know this isn't an easy thing for some of you."

-None of the inmates said anything.

-"I'll start" Harley spoke up, "Jervis was such a charming man. He was funny, polite, a true gentleman. And when I found out today that not only he had pasted away, but the good Dr. Crane as well, I felt sick to my stomach. I remember how I would say hello to Dr. Crane whenever I'd pass him up, whether it be in the lunchroom, on our way back to our cell, or when Batman was hauling one of our sorry butts back into Arkham. But I guess, in a way, it's kind of a good thing. I know neither of them would have wanted to live without each other. And now, they're both together forever, in a much better place, out of Arkham, away from Gotham, maybe even in their own private wonderland".

-The other inmates remained silent with the exception of Penguin. Penguin blew into a handkerchief and tearfully replied "Beautiful, miss Quinzel, simply beautiful! Not even the great John Donne could have written such a heartfelt Valediction Forbidding Mourning".

-"Oswald" Alice said, "Do you have any fond memories regarding Jervis and Jonathan?"

-"Well, Dr. Johnson, I cannot say that I was very close to either of them. But I can most certainly relate my past youth, as well as my current endeavors, to those of our fellow friends. I know how Jonathan must have felt in his youth: lonely, bitter, and constantly tormented by the physicality of his being, never knowing friendship or love, only cruelty and ridicule. And Jervis, our hopeless romantic. I know how it feels to strive to be a true gentleman, how one must feel when they've finally found the one. The one who loves you for who you are, the one who makes you feel that the cold, bitter society you've loathed since childhood, may very well have reserved a secret paradise for you alongside your dearly beloved," Penguin's tone turned resentful, "Only to find that it was all just another one of life's cruel jokes in which _you _were the punch line".

-Harley gasped silently after hearing Penguin's speech.

-"All I wanted from her was a little friendship. That would have cost nothing, not a dime, but I should have known she never truly loved me. For who could ever love a beast?"

*-"Hurts, doesn't it? But there's just one part of your sob story that ain't no exaggeration for me: I _am _a beast!" Killer Croc snapped resentfully, "You sit over there bitching and moaning about being mocked by your appearance. Well get a good look at me, bird boy" He said holding his arms out displaying his entire reptilian physique. "Ya think I wanted to be born a monster? Ya think _I _never wanted to know what love was? I mean hell, you're rich, I live in the goddamned sewers. Society may have shit in your face when you were a kid but they still shit in my face, and in my own home!"

-Penguin glared at Killer Croc, "Yes, well, you have much of yourself to blame for how people look at you".

-"What the fuck did you just say?!"

-"You heard me. At least I actually tried to fit into society, even after the way it treated me. And you know what, I actually did gain more out of it than I was expecting. I actually went semi-straight and I was able to open up my own establishment and earn an honest living. And I even met some very respectable people in the process who didn't mock me. If I remember correctly, Croc, you even had a chance to go straight. I heard all about your escape into the forest and how those sideshow creatures took you in. If you had just taken that opportunity you wouldn't even be sitting here with us. But, from what I heard, you turned on them just as quickly as you would have anyone else".

-"I was being myself!"

-"So you're saying you're just as ugly on the inside as on the outside?" Alice asked. Killer Croc froze and turned to her. "Don't you see, it's not your appearance that's making people fear and hate you, it's your actions?"

-"I don't think I remember asking your opinion, doc".

-"Oh well, you got it. And it's not my opinion; it's the facts of life. You claim that society is treating you like a monster, that you're the sole victim. But the truth is, you're only _half _right. You have every reason to be angry at how people treated you before, and I don't blame you for lashing out either. But from what you've just stated about you 'being yourself', it sounds like now you've accepted that you are, in fact, a monster. And if you keep acting like a monster, that's how you're going to keep being treated, simple as that".

*-"And so what does that make me?" Bane asked. "I was never given a choice, I was made to spend every single solitary moment of my life fenced in behind iron and steel, constantly on the alert, never able to find any rest. Does that make _me_ a monster for the crimes I have committed?"

-"Yes, it does".

-Bane was surprised by the remark. "Well, please elaborate. This should be quite interesting."

-"I understand you developed remarkable skills during your time in prison; skills like superhuman strength and a superb intelligence that was just as high as your strength. Why didn't you use your gifts to help the world? Why did you choose to claim dominion over the criminal underworld?"

-"How _dare _you? What do you know about being a criminal? Have you served your entire life isolated from the rest of the world? Were you deprived of the opportunity to make your own decisions? Well _I _was. The life of crime is all that I have ever known, thanks to my father".

*-"Oh don't get me started on fathers", said the Riddler, "You wound up getting super powers on account of your dear old dad. All I ever got from mine was a black eye, a broken nose, and a permanent regret for wasting so much of my life trying to please him. To this day I have the answer to nearly every question the human brain could conceive. But the one question I could never answer was why my father hated me so much. I got straight As in school, I landed a job that was more profitable than his at the age of 16, but the more successful I became the more he tormented me. He would always call me a moron, or say that I cheated"

-"And I'm guessing that's where your fascination with riddles came from: to gather every bit of information as possible and prove your father wrong?" Alice asked.

-"Well, aren't we observant? I'm sure you must know _everything _there is to know about being hated by your own family" The Riddler responded sarcastically. Alice did not show signs of anger but she did ball one of her hands into a fist after hearing the Riddler's words.

-Harley was about to open her mouth and yell in Alice's defense but Alice spoke before she had a chance. "So, Edward, where was your mother in all this?"

-"Well, Dr. Johnson, if you _must _know, I never had a mother. I guess she decided to play it smart and get away from my father while she had the chance. I never had a single female companion in my life until after I graduated college and met Julie".

-"I remember reading that in your files. The two of you created a device that would enhance the human mind".

-"No, _I _invented it. And I had no intention of allowing my genius to be bought and used by someone else and so she sabotaged my work and ruined me. Then she made millions off of my work, all while claiming she understood me."

*-"Oh, stop whining, Nigma", Two-Face said, "You're not the only person to be backstabbed by a woman" he said turning an eye to Poison Ivy. "And if you think that's bad, try getting backstabbed by the justice system. Try having everything you've fought for, everything you believed in, just explode in your face"

-"How do you think I wound up here?" Riddler asked defensively.

-"Because you don't listen to fate. To you, everything is based on facts; everything is aligned in straight path because you think you know everything. Well, you don't know shit. Fact has nothing to do with anything" Two-Face took out his coin and flipped it, "Now chance, chance is everything. Whether you're born or not, whether you live or die, whether you're good or bad. It's all arbitrary".

-"When did things _become _arbitrary, Harvey?" Alice asked.

-"Use our _real _name," Two-Face demanded irritably.

-"I did. And it seems to me, that anger is what's been driving you all these years. Anger and guilt."

-"What are you getting at" Two-Face growled

-"It was anger that drove you to defend yourself when you were bullied as a child. It was the guilt from defending yourself that gave birth to your other side, as well as your desire to defend other people. And, from what I've heard, it sounds like it was anger that brought your other side out again. It happened right after someone betrayed you, if I'm not mistaken".

-"You mean, after someone tried to _kill _me," he said angrily turning directly toward Poison Ivy. Poison Ivy was startled for a moment, "Ya think you're doing the right thing by defending yourself, defending the ones who can't fight back, and instead of praise and respect, I was given the kiss of death from someone I actually loved and _this_!" He said pointing to his deformed face. "But if there's any good to come out of being spit on by the ones you love and protect, it's the gift I was given: the sound of truth" Two-Face finished with a flip of his coin, which dinged loudly as it was tossed in the air.

*-Poison Ivy began to chuckle and then started to laugh. "What's so funny you bitch?" Two-Face said angrily.

-"You're hypocrisy, that's what. You sit over there talking like a victim, a hero who fought bravely and was denied a happy ending. And you actually have the balls to name _me _as bad guy? You took hundreds of lives that I loved almost more than anything. And for what: a half-assed attempt to try and keep freaks like you and I off the street, an attempt that's failed miserably I might add".

-"You tried to kill me because I trimmed away a few weeds"

-"They were my children!" Poison Ivy snapped angrily, "They were my family, they were lives that couldn't fight back. And you killed them, just like the scum you fought against to protect the lives you considered 'innocent'".

-"God, my old self was stupid. How could I have allowed myself to fall for an insane monster like _you? _You're probably more of a monster than any of us. You don't know anything about human emotion".

-As if a switch had been pulled inside of her, Poison Ivy fell completely silent. Her face looked like she had been stabbed in the chest. She sat motionless as Two-Face's words rang inside her brain.

*-_"You all make me sick," _said a robotic voice from across the room. Everyone turned to Mr. Freeze. "All of you are under the delusion that you know what 'hurt' is. And yet when someone shows you their love you shatter it like a fragile snowflake. I only had one person ever show me love, and the world that you are currently a part of took her from me and turned me into this desolate, empty shell of man. You all believe that your lives are nothing but a Shakespearean tragedy. But here you all sit, fully capable of feeling joy, still able to bask in the warm beauties of life…" Mr. Freeze paused for a moment and took out a small snow globe with a young woman dancing in the center and stared at it nostalgically as he continued "…while I am trapped here; a prisoner in a cursed cell of immortality, no longer able walk on a summer's day with the hot wind in my face and a warm hand to hold. I am immortal in this state; and yet I have no greater desire than to _end _this cursed life". Then he looked up at Alice bitterly "And you: you sit there with even less pain than any of us, a free soul able to come and go as it pleases, standing above us like a supreme being silently judging us while leading us to believe you are our salvation. You don't even know what pain is".


	16. Chapter 14: Breakthrough (Part 2)

_Nightmare in Arkham_

Chapter 14 B: "Breakthrough"-Part 2

-As Mr. Freeze's last sentence broke through Alice's mind,_ "You don't even know what pain is", _something inside her snapped. Harley turned to her and saw that her face was starting to flush red with blood. Her eyes glared at Mr. Freeze and she looked like a wolf ready to pounce on an unsuspecting deer. Alice tied her hair up in a ponytail and Harley knew things were about to get ugly.

-Alice stood up and casually walked toward Mr. Freeze's containment, never taking her eyes off of him, while the inmates all stared at her confusingly. Dr. Leland was doing the same as she watched Alice on the monitor. "Alice, what are you doing?" she asked herself. As Dr. Leland looked on she was struck by a sudden rush of surprise and panic.

-The moment Alice reached Mr. Freeze's containment; she grabbed a hold of the temperature gage and set it well above subzero temperature. Mr. Freeze's entire body felt like it was starting to cook as he screamed in agony. "What are you doing?! Stop! Put it back! Put it back!"

-"Why? This is what you wanted, isn't it?" Alice asked angrily. Mr. Freeze began to hyperventilate as he gasped for air in the sweltering oven.

-"Stop it! Please, Misses J, don't kill him!" Harley pleaded. Alice turned to Harley with vicious eyes.

-Poison Ivy suddenly snapped awake. "What?" She turned to Harley shocked, "What did you just call her?"

-Ivy turned to Alice, her mouth hanging open in horror. _Oh my God! She's already done it. She's manipulated Harley to the point where she's giving her pet names just like…it even sounds like… _"You _bitch!" _She snarled with her eyes burning with anger. She ran at Alice. Dr. Leland sprung into action and pushed the button, setting off an alarm throughout the building.

-Alice quickly reset Mr. Freeze's normal temperature before Ivy was upon her. "Get the door!" Ivy shouted to Killer Croc. Killer Croc rushed to the door but Bane was already there, bending a steel rod through the handles to ensure no one could get in or out of the room.

-Ivy grabbed Alice by the throat as Alice attempted to hold her back. Poison Ivy pushed her head forward with all her might trying to get her lips to make contact with Alice's so that she could poison her. After a few seconds of struggling, Alice abruptly shot her head forward and slammed it into Ivy's face, causing her to stagger back in agony. As Ivy was clutching her face Alice grabbed her by the arm and threw her against a wall where she fell onto her side.

-Alice turned back to the other inmates and stared them down. Then she threw off her work close revealing the exact same outfit as when she saved Harley. She tied her bandana over her left hand and said calmly, "Take your best shot".

-All of the inmates rushed at Alice. The Penguin stepped back and took Harley to the opposite side of the room away from the squabble.

-Killer Croc was the first one to attack Alice but she was able to quickly dodge his jaws, fists, and claws. Alice's blows to his back had no effect but when she landed a hard punch to his soft under-belly the massive reptile fell to his knees in pain. Alice then punched him in the side of his mouth knocking out a large, serrated fang.

-Bane came at her next from behind and launched his massive fist at Alice who jumped into the air and kicked him square in the face. However, Bane simply smiled at Alice before sweeping her aside with the back of his hand sending her flying against the wall. As Alice fell to her knees, Bane stood over her with his foot raised ready to squash Alice. "Don't take it personally, I just can't stand roaches".

-Suddenly, Alice took out her Bug Zapper, set it on 'Super High', and fired it at the bulking brute. Bane's body glowed as the electricity surged through his body, causing him to scream in agony. As Alice was focusing on Bane she saw something out of the corner of her eye. When she turned, the Riddler froze in his tracks with Croc's tooth clutched in his hand. His eyes filled with fear as he looked into Alice's vicious stare and he dropped the tooth and ran away. Alice shut off her Bug Zapper and Bane fell onto his back moaning in pain but still conscious. Alice walked over to the tooth and picked it up. She then turned to a wall and saw Two-Face pressed up against it, his eyes wide with fear. Alice walked over to him.

-She extended her arm and handed the tooth to him. "Here", she said, Two-Face did not move. "Well come on, take it!" Alice ordered. Two-Face very slowly reached up and took the tooth. "That's good", Alice said, "Now_ do _it" she said bluntly. Two-Face seemed shocked by Alice's words. "Well, what are you waiting for?" she took Two-Face's hand and positioned it so that his hand was holding the pointed tip directly on her throat. "Stick it in me, that's what you want, isn't it?"

-Two-Face tried to speak but was too frightened to form any words. "Oh, I see, you need to see if chance wants you to kill me". Alice snatched the coin from Two-Face's hand and flipped it. The result came up tails. "Well, there you have it".

-Two-Face still refused to move. Alice gently raked his hand to the side causing the tooth to trace a short cut on her neck. "Come on, Big Bad Harvey, you have nothing to lose". Two-Face slid down to his knees in submission. Alice abruptly swiped Two-Face's hand and the tooth went flying across the room where it embedded inside the wall just a few feet in front of Harley and Penguin. Harley was horror-stricken.

-Alice stood up on a chair and looked out at the shaken inmates. "Listen up", she shouted, "I've had to listen to all of your sob stories and now you're all gonna listen to _mine!" _

-Alice turned to Mr. Freeze. "You wanna know what _pain _is Victor? Pain is when you lose someone who made a huge difference in your life. My mother was my whole world to me as a child. She loved me, cared for me, made me smile, she even taught me how to have sweet dreams. But I lost her forever when I was 5 years old"

-Alice turned to the Riddler. "You wanna know what _hurt_ is Edward? Hurt is when the only other parent you have treats you like a piece of shit. After my mom died my dad wasn't there for me. My brother had to play the role as my parent figure. My dad yelled at me, belittled me, and called me names because of the way I dressed, the way I cooked, even the way I dreamed".

-Alice turned to Killer Croc. "You wanna know what _resentment _is Waylon? Resentment is being cast out by your peers for being nothing more than who you are. I spent the majority of my childhood feeling like a monster because that's how I was treated. All because I enjoyed day dreaming, people looked at me like I was some kind of circus freak".

-Then Alice got off the chair, closed her eyes, and took a deep breathe before continuing. "Do you all want to know what _devastation_ is, because that's the worst one of all"? The inmates didn't respond but they all looked at Alice with undivided attention. "Eventually I _did _find friends. I found a love interest. I had a son" Alice took out her picture of Jacob and held it up so the inmates could all get a good look, "I had everything I could ask for". Then Alice frowned and her tone sounded hurt. "But I lost everything: my brother, my fiancé, my friends. And you know how? They were all murdered by a sadistic, twisted freak; just like _you!_ And it didn't happen all at once. He took away everyone I loved one by one. And as my son got older, the blame was put on him because he was born with a brain disorder that led people to believe he was messed up in the head. He killed himself" Tears started to fall from Alice's eyes but her tone remained strong and bitterly passionate as she continued "And after that I took it on myself to rid the world of evil. Oh yeah, 30 years ago, I would not be in here trying to help you. I would be hunting you all down in the streets and painting the city red in your blood. I tangled with every sort of creep, scum, and trash you can imagine"

-Suddenly, Alice took off her jacket threw off her shirt leaving only a bra to cover herself and she turned her back to the inmates. The inmates all gasped in horror, not so much from Alice exposing herself, but because what Alice was trying to show them. Her back, shoulders, and biceps were all covered in scars from slashes, stab wounds, burn marks, and much more. "I've been getting stabbed in the back long before some of you were even born". Having made her point, Alice put her shirt back on. Her anger began to subside and she started to speak more calmly. "My anger drove me for quite some time, I almost gave myself a place right beside you all. But after I did some time in jail for my attempts at 'being a hero', I actually got to know people on the inside. And I soon realized that a lot of people that society labels as 'evil' or 'psychotic' are all just lost. They all have the same hopes, feelings, and desires of anyone else, but they've come to face an obstacle in their life that's caused them to lose hope and see more of the darkness in the world than the light; just like me. It was at that point I knew I had 2 choices: stay angry and be miserable for the rest of my life, or take my tragedy and make it the beginning of my new life".

-Alice sat down in her chair, her anger now completely gone. "Life may have been tough on you all, but you're not alone. I don't know if you noticed, but each of you related to a part of each other's story as you were speaking". The inmates all looked surprised as they realized Alice was right. "Well I can also relate; and since we're all in the same boat, I think we can all help each-other, but the only way this can work is if we all have a mutual trust. So what do ya say, will you let me help you?"

For a moment, the entire room was dead quite. All the inmates gazed upon Alice as if they were looking at a newly discovered animal. But soon, the Penguin started to clap as he approached Alice. Then slowly, Mr. Freeze, Riddler, Two-Face, even Bane and Croc, began to join in until the room echoed with cheering at applause. The only ones who were not clapping were Harley Quinn and Poison Ivy. Poison Ivy looked over at Harley, who was still slumped into a corner in the room. She looked terrified.

-The door busted open and Dr. Leland rushed in with a squad of officers but they all stopped in their tracks when they saw all the inmates praising and congratulating Alice. Dr. Leland walked up to her, speechless. "Alice wha…what happ-"

-"We've made a breakthrough," Alice replied with a smile.


	17. Chapter 15: The Reluctant Escape

_Nightmare in Arkham_

Chapter 15: "The Reluctant Escape"

Another week had passed. During this time Alice still had her one on ones with Harley. While she had made progress, Harley had seemed a bit uneasy while talking to her. The reason was because she was not expecting to see Alice take such violent measures to deal with her patients. Ivy may have attacked her, but Alice was the one who tried to kill Mr. Freeze. And the rage she was venting while fighting and preaching; Harley feared what would happen if she were to somehow get on her bad side. And yet, she still had those strange love feelings for her. In fact, as strange as it seemed, they seemed to be _stronger _now. A part of her was absolutely thrilled to see her take charge and show such fearless and unbound strength. Harley knew she would never have the guts to stand up to anyone like Alice had, and Harley knew if she had someone like Alice by her side as her permanent defender, she would feel invincible and alive both physically and mentally. But still, the uncertainty still lingered: how long would it be before she would lash out at her?

Alice had been making remarkable progress with her patients. Two-Face almost began to feel comfortable talking in his normal voice, Mr. Freeze slowly began to see a tad bit more joy in life, and Killer Croc had even allowed her to assist him in tempering his rage. Dr. Leland and the rest of the staff were at a loss for words with Alice's performance. Many were even considering recommending her for a promotion. However, there was one thing that neither Alice nor the Dark Knight had had any progress in accomplishing at all: finding Freddy and rescuing Barbara. In fact, there had not been a single sign of Freddy since Alice's breakthrough. At first Alice had thought that he had lost interest and moved on since she cut off his prey's dreams, as there had been no reports from anywhere in the city of his presence: no reports of abnormal dreams, no bedroom murders, nothing. But no one knew Freddy better than Alice, and she knew he would not give up that easily. She knew he was planning something, and she was not going to let his reign of terror rise again, she was ready for him…at least, that's what she thought.

-Harley walked down the hallway to the lounge room. She had hoped more than anything to see Poison Ivy there, for she had not seen much of her since her confrontation with Alice and she started worry about her. Harley passed Dr. Leland on the way down the hall and the 2 of them exchanged smiles and a kind wave. As she walked into the lounge, she saw all of her fellow inmates gathered around on the couch watching TV together. This caught Harley completely by surprise. Never once had she seen more than 3, let alone all, of the super villains gathered around together looking like a happy family. Bane turned and saw Harley.

-"Ah, Miss Qunizel, come, join us", he said motioning Harley toward them. Harley slowly made her way to the couch, still bearing signs of bewilderment in her eyes. She took a seat on an empty spot on the couch between Riddler and Penguin. Killer Croc was sitting on the floor by one of the arms of the couch and he looked up at her when she was seated. "Ya know Harley, I gotta hand it to ya: You were right about Dr. J", he said.

-"Indeed", said the Riddler, "She may have the look and mannerism of a cat but she has the strength and ferocity of a tiger".

-"And yet she has the heart of a mother bird" the Penguin added, "I've never met anyone as kind as her"

-"Agreed" said Mr. Freeze, "The only other kind soul I have ever met that showed such love and compassion was my beloved Nora"

-Harley chuckled as said "Yeah, I told ya", then her face turned to uncertainty, but none of the other noticed. Then she laid back into the couch and watched TV with the rest of the group.

-After a few moments her eyes drifted to the far side of the room and she noticed Poison Ivy sitting alone in a red a cushioned chair at the window with her arms wrapped around herself as she peered blankly outward. Harley was happy to see her friend and she leaped to her feet and made her way over to her.

-"Hey Red! I've been looking everywhere for you!" she said to Ivy when she reached her. Ivy did not respond.

-"Penny for your thoughts?" Still, she ignored her.

-Harley started to frown. "Red? What's the matter? Come on, look at me" Harley pleaded putting a hand and the plant woman's shoulder. Ivy tensed at Harley's touch but she kept her gaze out the window.

-Now Harley started to feel worry. She leaned her body toward the window so that she could look Ivy in the face herself. "Red, don't act like you don't hear me. Tell me what's-" Harley gasped. When she looked at Ivy's face she saw the thick, dark green bruise that was semi-healed just above her left eye from when Alice head butted her. Her eyes displayed anger, but when Harley saw her lips slightly quivering as the rain fell like tear drops on the window, Harley detected sadness in her face.

-"Red…are you hurt?" Harley asked concerned. Ivy said nothing.

-"Here", Harley said as she brushed a strand of hair out of Ivy's face "This will make you feel better". She leaned in to kiss Ivy's bruise but Ivy shot up just before her lips made contact.

-"Don't touch it! It fucking hurts!" She snapped. The room grew quite as the inmates by the TV all stopped and looked up at them. Harley backed away looking like she had just been bitten by a dog she was trying to pet. Ivy, having realized what she had done, sank back in her chair and smacked her hand into her face in shame. "I'm sorry Harl", she said sincerely, and motioned Harley in for a hug, which Harley complied.

-After the embrace was broken, Ivy couldn't look Harley in the face but Harley stared straight at her. "Red, please, tell me what's wrong. You've been like this since I came back to Arkham. And I know it's not because of that bump because you were acting like this even before then. You're like a mother to me, Red. And I don't like seein my momma hurting".

-Ivy was silent for a few seconds before she closed her eyes, sighed, and spoke. "I can't talk about it Harley; not here in Arkham", then she turned to Harley, "I'm breaking out tonight and you're coming with me. You and I are going to leave this God-forsaken place behind us and reclaim our titles as the Queens of Crime".

-Harley looked uneasy. "Red…I can't do that. Alice is trying to help me go straight".

-"Forget about her, Harley. She's a great actress, I'll give her that, but she's just playing mind games".

-"W-what do ya mean Red?"

-"Open your eyes Harl: she sweet talks you into coming back to Arkham, then she tries to act kind and innocent so we'll think she's on our side, and when that doesn't work she resorts to violence. And don't try and defend her like you do the Joker. I saw you in the room after she attacked us: you were scared shitless and you know it."

-Harley was speechless. She couldn't deny what Ivy had said, because it was true, but still, "Yeah but, she saved me Red. And she told me things, secret things she never told anyone-"

-"Like the Joker, and, to add insult to injury, she's taken away our right to dream. Do you have any idea how violated that makes me feel? " She said resentfully.

-Harley fell silent. Poison Ivy sighed and gently tilted Harley's chin toward her so that she was facing her and very sincerely told her "Harley, you don't know when someone is using you. And that's okay, believe me: I found out how to tell the hard way. But you know you can trust Momma Red, right?" Harley gave a faint nod, "Good, so stay with me Harley. I promise I will never let anyone hurt you ever again". Harley's mind froze as she heard Alice's quote_ "__I will never let anything hurt you ever again" _repeated to her by Poison Ivy.

-After a few seconds of silence, Harley reluctantly nodded and said "Okay Red". Poison Ivy smirked at her both out of happiness and victory.

-"_All right psychos! Rec time is over, back to your cells!" _Shouted a male guard.

Barbara was lying on the ground completely spent. She had nothing more in her. The rubble and debris didn't feel quite as uncomfortable as she would have though, but even if it had she would not have cared. She knew that she was doomed. The only comfort she had was the knowledge that death would have to find her eventually, so all she could do for the moment was make the best of her surroundings and welcome the reaper's sweet embrace. Strangely, as Barbara lay among the corpses on the ground she did not feel so alone, for she was now one with them. Then suddenly, she felt something touch her head. She was stunned; for she had not felt anyone or anything touch her body in…oh she had no idea how long. She slowly lifted herself up as much as her weak arms would allow her and slowly turned her head. Then her hope turned to horror. Standing before her was the Headless Horseman, who now had Scarecrow's demonic jack-o-lantern face placed atop his head. He laughed evilly at her. Barbara tried to scream but had no strength to do so.

-"Don't worry, Princess," he said to Barbara, "Your knight in shining armor won't let anything harm you…at least until I deliver you to the person who intends to". He grabbed a hold of Barbara and flung her onto the back of his horse. He then hopped on and rode off through the desolate city laughing loudly.

That night, Poison Ivy sat poised on her bed ready to put her plan into action. Meanwhile, Harley sat on her own bed feeling both guilty and reluctant. _Why am I doing this? Alice has been so good to me, how could I betray her like this? But then again, what if Red is right? What if she is just a manipulative psychopath? But she saved my life. But then again-_"Oh, why me?!" She said to herself frustrated.

-Ivy took a pair of mini trimmers and used the point to cut a small hole in her finger. Then she allowed the green, toxic blood to ooze from her finger and onto one of her plants. Ivy's blood may have been poisonous to humans, but to plants, it was like steroids.

-"Guard! Please help me!" Ivy said distressfully. A female guard came running up to her cell.

-"What's the problem?"

-"I've cut my finger!" Ivy said showing her wound. The blood was covering her entire thumb now.

-"Who the hell said it was okay for you to have weapons in your cell?"

-"Just fucking help me!"

-"Alright, keep your shirt on" the guard said as she opened the door to the cell.

-Ivy smiled and before the guard even had a chance to react, Ivy's tiny plant grew into a giant tentacle and grabbed the guard.

-"Hey, What the-" the guard was silenced when the vine wrapped around her mouth.

-"I'll be taking this now" Ivy said plucking the guard's key off of her

-"MPHHH! MMMM! PHMM!"

-"That's right keep struggling. You're only exciting it" Ivy said seductively. Ivy casually walked out of her cell and went over to Harley's. Harley watched silently with her head down as her friend slid the key through the panel and the glass door slowly opened.

-"Up and at em, partner" Ivy said with a smirk. Harley got up and hurried out of her cell and the 2 women made their way out of the cellblock. Once inside the hall, a group of guards came running up to them, most of which were men. Ivy was undeterred. She simple held her hand up with her fist clenched and when they got close enough she opened her hand and blew a red, pollen like substance at the guards causing the men to freeze in their tracks. After a second or 2 the men smiled like a bunch of buffoons starring at a stripper.

-"Say boys, could you do a couple of poor, little ole damsels a huge favor and keep those mean, old, flat chested women away from us pleeeeeeease" Ivy said smoothly batting her eyelashes.

-The men all smiled dumbly at her and laughed like a bunch of brainless idiots before grabbing a hold of the women and holding them back while they shouted, protested, and called them names.

-Ivy then motioned one of the men toward her. "Say", Ivy paused to look at the man's nametag, which said "Grover", "Mr. Goober, would you be a nice, sexxxxy gentleman and", Ivy put an arm around Grover's shoulder, put her face just a few inches away from his, and used her other hand to undo his belt, unbutton his pants, pull down his zipper, and grab his crotch, "Open your door so we can let loose our _wild side?"_

-"DAAAAAAAAHUHHUHUHUH!" The guard squealed as saliva spilled from his tongue that stuck out of his mouth. He turned to door on the wall beside him and used his keys to unlock it. The door opened revealing the sweet, inviting image of the serene night.

-"_Hey, hold it right there!"_ shouted a female voice. Poison Ivy instinctively turned around and hurled a handful of seeds in the direction of the voice and the seed erupted into tentacle like roots, much like ones she used in her cell, and Dr. Leland was pinned to a wall. She struggled a bit while Ivy ran out the door but was surprised when she noticed Harley standing right beside her. "Harley…why? Why are you doing this?"

-Harley was ashamed. "I…I-"

-"Come on, let's go!" Ivy called from the doorway

-Harley turned back to Dr. Leland and she was able to see the reluctance in Harley's eyes. "Just…please, give this to Alice when you see her" Harley said glumly placing a Queen of Hearts poker card in Dr. Leland's hand. Harley then looked back into her eyes and Dr. Leland saw that she looked like she was on the verge of crying. "I'm sorry, Joan". Harley said, only she didn't say it in Harley Quinn's voice, she said in the voice of Harleen Quinzel. Harley then ran out the door leaving Dr. Leland stunned at hearing Harley's real voice for the first time in almost 10 years. The male guard came up to Dr. Leland, still transfixed by Ivy's pollen, and he stood blathering and drooling in front of her until his pants fell down revealing a giant woody in the front of his pants.

-"God, they don't pay me enough for this" Dr. Leland said irritably.

Outside, Harley and Ivy sped down the road away from Arkham in the officer's stolen car (Ivy had stolen the guards keys before heading out). "Yes! Oh Yeah baby! We're back! Hahahaha! Oh God, Harley, did you see that stupid Goober guy? Oh God! I knew men had to be good for something!"

-"Yeah, great" Harley said frowning with her cheek rested in her hand.

-"Hey, come on sweet-cake, you were telling me to lighten up and now you're the one with the frown face".


	18. Chapter 16: Mother Nature's Love

_Nightmare in Arkham_

Chapter 16: "Mother Nature's Love"

-Alice stood alone a top the roof where the Bat Signal shone brightly into the clouds eclipsing Gotham with the wings of its guardian. She had been standing on the roof waiting for Batman for quite some time now and she was starting to grow both board and anxious at the same time. She looked at her watch and saw that Batman was over an hour late for their usual meet up.

-Alice sighed and leaned against the side of the signal. She lit herself a cigarette and after she exhaled the smoke she was startled by a female voice close by, "_Waiting for your blind date?"_

-Alice gasped and shot up from her spot and spun around. Catwoman walked out of the shadow cast by the signal. "Relax, I come in peace" Catwoman told her reassuringly.

-After a few moments of starring at the feline woman Alice came to a realization. "Hey, wait a minute, aren't you-"

-"The one who gave the Batgirl the whipping she had coming? Yup"

-"And who might you be?"

-"Catwoman."

-Alice chuckled, "So, are you another hero?"

-"Meh, I go back and forth depending on what suits my needs"

-"And what are your needs right now?"

-"I just wanted to see The Big B-Man. It feels like forever since he and I have had some _quality time."_

-"I see…"

-"Do you mind if I join you?"

-"Suite yourself"

-The 2 women sat down next to the Bat Signal. After Alice took another puff from her cigarette she offered one to Catwoman, who accepted with "Eh, what the heck?"

-Alice lit Catwoman's cigarette and the 2 of them sat in silence for a minute or two before Catwoman spoke. "So, how goes the hunt for Freddy?"

-Alice, who was in the midst of inhaling, suddenly broke out coughing from the surprise brought on by Catwoman's question. She looked up at Catwoman in disbelief. "Excuse me?"

-"I was the one who gave Batman the name. I would have handed it to him in person but they told me he was "at a conference" with you; so I had them deliver it to him. I heard about what happened afterward…sorry about that".

-"Hold on a second…you saw him? How long ago?"

-"Oh, it was a while back. In fact, I think it was the same night Scarecrow died."

-Alice turned so that she was facing directly toward Catwoman and her tone turned serious. "How much do you know about him?"

-"Other than that he's a complete pervert, not much. I didn't even think much of it until I heard about Barbara", then Catwoman looked at Alice concerned, "What's going on? Who is this guy?"

-Before Alice could answer, she noticed Batman walking toward them with a serious look in his eye. "Alice, we have a problem"

-"What is it?" Alice asked.

-"It's Harley", Batman said. Alice froze with worry in her eyes.

_MEANWHILE…_

-Harley sat on the brown, leather couch inside of Poison Ivy's hidden greenhouse. Ivy sat behind her running a brush through Harley's long, black and red hair, which hung down past her shoulders nearly going past her mid back. Ivy smiled while humming as she stroked the brush through Harley's locks. Harley, on the other hand, still had melancholy etched on her face. She had barely said a word since they arrived back at the hideout.

-Eventually Harley's silence started to bother Ivy. "Come on, Harl, what happened to my little ball of sunshine? Let's put a smile on that face", she said stroking her index finger in circles around Harley's cheek.

-"This feels so wrong" Harley said.

-"So why aren't you enjoying it? If I remember correctly, you always loved being naughty", Ivy said with a smile.

-"Look Red, I just…" Harley stopped after failing to find the right word.

-"You're confused" Ivy finished for her, "And you're probably tired. I'm not surprised; you've been through quite a lot these past few days. Your little mind is probably going nuts trying to process everything", she said soothingly while slowly running her nails along Harley's scalp. Harley tensed at the feeling of her head being touched and she began shivering.

-Ivy felt Harley's apprehensiveness. "Oh, I'm sorry Harley", Ivy moved her hands down Harley's head and started to gentle sweep them down her back. Harley jolted in pain at the touch.

-"What's wrong?" Ivy asked concerned. Ivy removed Harley's shirt and was horrified to see the scars and stitches that covered Harley's back.

-"Oh my God! Harley, what…how long ha-"

-"Just forget about it, Red" Harley said with a tone of annoyance, "I know exactly where this is gonna wind up: You're gonna blame Mista or Misses J for this, right?"

-"Grrrrrrr stop calling her that! It's bad enough you have a pet name for that obnoxious, evil "boyfriend" of yours'; I can't stand the thought of a second one!"

-"Red, why do you hate people so much?"

-"Because they do nothing but _hurt! _I mean, my God, you literally have the writing on your back, and you still can't see that those people don't give a shit about you! All they know how to do is lie and manipulate"

-"Oh, you'd know all about 'manipulation', wouldn't you, Miss Poison Kiss"

-"SHUT UP!" Ivy snapped, her eyes were now flooding green with rage, "One of us has to 'know all about it' so that person can protect the other from those filthy flesh sacs. They're not capable of real love"

-"How would you know? You've never been in love. If you had, you'd know that love is supposed to hurt".

-"How do you think I wound up like _THIS?!" _Ivy said throwing her hands out in a manner that emphasized her inhuman body. Harley fell silent. "Do you honestly think I _wanted_to be like? All I ever wanted was for someone to love me; I've always wanted a family". Ivy looked at Harley with hurt eyes.

-"I never even knew my parents; they just dumped me in an orphanage before I could even take my first step. All of the children around me treated me like dirt: every time I would try and talk to them they would push me away and when they did talk to me it was in the form of a mockery, or even an assault". Ivy paused for a moment and turned to a flowerpot with a beautiful magnolia flower blooming inside. She walked over to the flower and gently stroked the petals.

-"So I turned to the plants. They were a living form of life that I could talk to and they wouldn't hurt me, shun me, or tell me I was ugly". Harley gasped at the thought of anyone who could seriously think that Red, the Green Aphrodite, was "ugly"; she was beauty incarnated.

-"The plants were great company, but I still longed to know what it was like to be loved by a human being. And when I finally got the chance it was unlike anything I had ever felt before: it was exotic, it was lush, it was vibrant-"

-"It wasn't painful?" Harley asked.

-"No, it was a sweet pleasure that can only be known by those who have experienced it…but it was all a lie!" Poison Ivy suddenly spat with a tone of bitterness, "He lied to me, he only saw me as a lab rat that he could test his vile plant mutation experiment on. He took away my humanity, my trust, and my chance at ever having children". Poison Ivy's voice indicated that her heart had sunk on the last line, yet she still did not cry.

-Harley's jaw hung in a frozen gape. _So that's why she calls her plants her "children". _

-"Red…" Harley walked up to her friend and placed her hands on the back of her shoulders. Poison Ivy turned around and faced Harley; her eyes were neutral.

-"There's something I want to show you, Harley", she said. Poison Ivy brought Harley down a narrow corridor that lead to a large opening with ripe vines acting as the door. Ivy placed a gentle hand on the vines and they parted like a curtains in a window on a bright sunny day. The two women stood in the Eden that was shown in Poison Ivy's dream back at Arkham. It was now revealed to be a massive cavern that spread the length of the park. The waterfall came from the reservoir within the city that came pouring through the ceiling. There was also a massive tree that was covered with flowers of every kind. In fact, it was so covered with them, that it looked as if they took up the leaves on the tree.

-Harley's breath was taken away. Never had she seen, nor could she ever have comprehended, something so beautiful in her entire life, not even in her most vivid, colorful dream.

-When they neared the flower tree, Harley noticed a large patch of flower petals arranged in a message that spelled out "MOTHER NATURE LOVES YOU ALL". It was almost exactly like the shrine that Alice had. As Harley looked at the message, Ivy went to a small hole just under the base of the tree and pulled out a box that was wrapped up in vines to hold it closed. Ivy removed the vines and handed the box to Harley. She motioned for her to look inside and when Harley opened the box, she saw dozens of items that looked like they belonged to little children. There was a little doll made of straw, a tiny heart-shaped locket, a boy's sports cap, and much more. But the item that caught Harley's eye was a bracelet that had been made with vine and a combination of flowers.

-"I had my chance to be a mother, once. After I had set up shop in Robinson Park, all I wanted was to be left alone with my plants. But then, one day, an earthquake devastated the city. I was protected down here because I coated the walls with a strong, petrified wood that withstood the tremors. The homes on the surface weren't so lucky. Dozens of children were left homeless and orphaned; a large number of them had taken refuge in the park, and that's when I found them. Even though I detested humans, even back then, I knew what it was like to live without a home or a family as a child, and there was no way I was going to turn my back on children. So I took them all in and raised them; they were my stars, my little rays of sunshine, and I was their Mother Nature. That bracelet you're holding, it was made by my youngest daughter. Her name was Rosie", Poison Ivy gazed off nostalgically as she spoke

-"She was like you in every way, Harley: bright, cheerful, filled with joy, she would bring a smile to my face every time I was around her, and, most of all, she was sooo beautiful"

-Harley's eyes widened in surprise: _Did Red just suggest that I was beautiful?_

-"W-What happened to them, Red?" Ivy asked with a concerned frown. Ivy was silent for a moment before she spoke.

-"After nearly a year, the children all began to grow ill. At first it didn't look too serious, just some minor queasiness and headaches…but then it slowly escalated with each passing month. It turned into nausea, then sickness, then fever, then…then one day…they all died".

-"How?" Harley asked with shock in her voice.

-"After I tested their blood, I found out that they died from toxins emitted by poisonous plants. I thought there was a mistake: I didn't have any toxic plants in here. Then I realized, it was_ me. _As time went by, my body slowly began to develop poisonous toxins that were spread through physical contact: every time I held one of my children in my arms, hugged them when they missed their parents, tucked them into bed, kissed them goodnight…I was slowly killing them". Ivy turned to Harley.

-"Do you remember the anti-toxin I gave you when we first met?"

-Harley nodded, still dumbfounded by Ivy's tragic story.

-"That was the only one in existence. The plant that I used to create it was destroyed by those filthy ingrates on the surface. So when I created it, I knew I had to choose wisely whom I gave it to. Because that person would be the only person that I would ever be capable of loving".

-"But Red…why me? I'm not even a man".

-"So? Who said love had to be between a man and a woman?"

-Harley was fascinated by this question. Since she was discouraged from pursuing a relationship, she had never really considered the thought of 2 people of the same sex getting together; and since the majority of the relationships that she had seen involved a man and a woman, she had just assumed that was the "right" way.

-"Well…well still Red; you're a goddess, you have absolutely flawless beauty. Why would you want to be with a screw up like me?"

-Ivy solemnly looked up at Harley and frowned. She slowly walked toward her and gently placed a hand on the side of her face. She used her other hand to brush the hair out of Harley's eye so that Harley would focus directly on her.

-"How could you say that about yourself Harley? You are the kindest human I have ever met, you're one of only ones who has ever made me smile with true intent to do so, I don't know what that bastard maniac said or did to you that made you doubt your beauty and your self worth. But I am telling you right now, you are far more beautiful than _any _of those filthy flesh sacs you associated yourself with, you're a beckon of light that would melt the darkness completely and leave nothing but joy, hope, and compassion, and…" Ivy leaned her face closer to Harley's and Harley's eyes widened in surprise as her heart began to race. _Is this what love is? Oh my God, why couldn't I have seen this before? _Harley was so happy she could feel a tear starting to run down her cheek. Ivy gently wiped it away. "…And you're the only one capable of receiving Mother Nature's love".

-Before Harley could say anything, Ivy sunk her lips deep into hers'. Ivy's tongue penetrated Harley's lips and dove so far back in her mouth that the tip was practically touching the uvula. Harley's eyes shot open and her mind began to short circuit. So many thoughts raced through her mind that it had become detached from Harley's own body. Harley's hands grasped and scampered all along Ivy's back, hips, shoulders and abdomen not knowing what to do with themselves while Harley's muffled cries of surprise sounded from her mouth. Ivy moved her hand from Harley's cheek to the back of her neck and wrapped her other arm around Harley's waist, taking care not to squeeze on Harley's stitches, and pulled Harley even closer into the kiss. After a second or two, Harley froze completely, closed her eyes, and her muffled cries turned into one long sigh as she melted in Ivy's arms. Harley's legs gave out and she slowly sank to the ground. Ivy followed Harley's descent so that she would land softly on the grassy ground and when she was down, Ivy lay on top of her.

-After a few moments, Ivy abruptly pulled her lips from Harley's; a thick strand of saliva hung from her lips. She looked down on Harley, who was desperately trying to catch her breath; Ivy placed a hand on her chest just above her breasts and felt her heart hammer on the inside. Ivy smiled as she waited for Harley's breathing to subside and when it did, she focused her eyes directly onto her friend.

-"Red…that was…that was…" Harley's mind was still racing.

-"I know, Harley, it's a lot to process, isn't it?"

-Harley nodded through her breathing.

-"But did you like it?"

-"Like it? That was the greatest moment of my life!" She said with a shaky voice, "Oh God, is this what Mista J was keeping from me this whole time?"

-"Yes Harley", Ivy told her with emphasis, "That's what I've been trying to get across to you."

-"I'm sorry Red" Harley said with guilt in her voice, "If I had known I-"

-Ivy silenced her with a finger to her lips, "Shhhh, all that matters to me is that you know _now". _

-Harley smiled with a quivering lip. "Oh Red, I can't believe I could ever get this lucky! I mean, you could have had _anyone _you wanted and you actually saw something special in _me: _The Screw-Up Queen of Clumsine-"

-Harley was cut off by an erratic tingling sensation coming from her mid area. She gasped and looked down. Ivy had her finger right on top of the spot where her opening rested under her panties and was slowly tracing the slit with her fingertip. Ivy then pinched a part of the panties between her thumb and index finger and slowly pulled them down revealing Harley's neatly shaven vagina. Ivy looked back up at Harley and said to her very seriously, yet very seductively, "If you keep insulting yourself, I'm gonna have to keep teasing you". Ivy then placed 2 fingers on both sides of Harley's entrance and slowly grazed them down in a stroking motion. Harley's breathing became sporadic and came out in breathy whimpers. They became so intense that Ivy felt a sudden need to intervene. She slowly crawled up her lover's body, still stroking her pride area, until her face was over Harley's. "Honey, calm down and breathe slowly, otherwise you'll hyperventilate".

-"I…hehehehehehehehehehehee…c…heheheheheheheheheheheeh…can't!" Harley panted between breaths.

-Ivy dropped her head down and gently bit down on Harley's neck right on top of her Adam's apple. She then started sucking on the bulge while her teeth gently grazed it. Harley gasped and then her breathing became less frantic and turned into deep, slow inhales and exhales. Ivy's gentle grip on her throat put a slight hold on her breathing but, at the same time, the pleasure she received from the sucking of Ivy's mouth and the feeling of her smooth, wet tongue on her throat relaxed her to the point where she felt nothing but pure bliss on both ends of her body. She was in heaven.

-After allowing Harley to enjoy herself for a few minutes, Ivy deliberately grazed Harley's clit with her fingernail causing her to shoot up and yelp with surprise and pleasure. In a moment un-dictated by natural thought, Harley grabbed the back of Ivy's head and kissed her deeply. "Oh God, Red, you taste so sweet!"

-Ivy's smile turned mischievous. As Harley looked at her trying to figure out what she was thinking, she screamed a profanity as Ivy's finger was thrust inside of her. She wiggled the finger around for about five seconds while Harley screamed with pleasure before jerking it out. The tip of her finger had a white, gooey substance on it. Ivy placed the tip of her finger on Harley's face and wiped her own cum right below Harley's eye. Ivy then moved her face into Harley's and slowly licked the cum off with the tip of her tongue. "You taste even better," Ivy said with a wink.

-"OH GOD TAKE ME! TAKE ME YOU SEXY BITCH!" Harley shouted as she grabbed Ivy and kissed her with every once of passion inside her. Ivy complied and started to vigorously rub the inside of Harley's pride while kissing and biting her neck. Harley held onto Ivy as she built closer and closer to her climax. Her breathe grew louder and louder with each passing second and, right before she hit her orgasm, she opened her eyes for a second and saw the flash of thick red hair that loomed over her. As she climaxed, Harley screamed at the top of her lungs "ALICE!"


	19. Chapter 17: A Nightmare Come True

_Nightmare in Arkham_

Chapter 17: "A Nightmare Come True"

-Inside of Barbara's mind, the Headless Horseman had brought her to the "Laff City" theatre, which had been converted into a macabre castle of black comedy. The Horseman took her inside and threw her limp body on the ground and when she looked up she saw the Joker sitting before her like a king on his thrown. Harley was sitting beside him sporting her Arkham video game design.

-"Well hello there little batty", she spat mockingly at the crippled heroin. As Barbara looked up in horror at the clown duo, the Mad Hatter entered laughing manically as he bounced off the walls like a cartoon.

-"OH BOY MISTA J! IS THIS THE ONE? THE ONE THIS IS? THE ONE CALLED 'BABS'? ISITISITISIT?!"

-"Yes Hatter" the Joker replied. He turned to Barbara, "Please forgive him; he's had a little too much to drink".

-"OH BUT MISTA J YOU KNOW HOW EXCITED I GET ABOUT WEDDINGS; ESPECIALLY WHEN I'M THE ONE WHO GETS TO JOIN THE HAPPY COUPLE! WOHO! WOHO!"

-Harley gasped with delight and brought her hands to her face. "Oh Mista J! I knew you'd pop the question sooner or later! Oh God, we are going to make so many babies and get ourselves a nice little house by the sea so we can watch the sunset everyday and-"

-Harley was cut off when the Joker knelt down to Barbara and took out a severed finger with a wedding ring on it that, much to Barbara's horror, she recognized as her father's wedding ring. The Joker bit down on the ring, pulled it off the finger, and threw the severed appendage aside.

-"Barbara 'Babs' Gordon, also known as 'Batgirl Past Tense', would you make me the happiest man alive…and be my bride?".

-As Barbara opened her mouth to scream "No" at the top of her lungs, the Mad Hatter stuck a pair of grinning, false teeth in her mouth. The back of the teeth had a clamp that bit down of Barbara's tongue, restricting her speech to nothing but pained, muffled screams.

-"_OH Yes Mista J. I would love to be nothing more than your little 'woopie cushion'!" _The Mad Hatter stated in imitation of Barbara's impeded scream.

-Barbara could only scream her sobs of pain as the tears rolled down her forcefully grinning face.

-"Oh! It's so beautiful! She's crying with joy!" The Mad Hatter shouted joyously.

-Harley looked wounded. "What the hell?! You two-timing son of a bitch!" Harley took out a mallet and started to violently strike the Joker with it but the Joker didn't even notice. "I loved you, slaved for you, and this is how you-" The Joker took out a shotgun and blasted Harley right in the chest directly over her heart, which exploded as her broken corpse slammed against a wall.

_MEANWHILE… _

-Poison Ivy's heart felt like it had exploded on the inside. She sat upright with her hand covering her chest. She didn't say a word because Harley's had said it all: she didn't give a shit about her; she probably cared for her just as much as the Joker did her. She looked down at her thumb, which still bared the cut that she had made so that she could set Harley free from those monsters that tried to hurt her: just a mark of wasted flesh and blood.

-Harley was guilt stricken. She didn't mean to shout that name. It just sort of happened. "Red…Red please-"

-"Just go", Ivy said with hurt in her voice. She did not look at Harley.

-"Red please, look at me", Harley pleaded, grabbing Ivy by the shoulders. Ivy just jerked away and swatted Harley's hands.

-"Red I didn't mean it! You're my best friend! You're like a mother to me Red! I won't leave you!"

-_Yes you will. You'll leave me just like you've done since the day we met. And then when that bitch hurts you, you'll come crawling back to me. And then you'll leave me all over again because I'll always be second rate to you. I really am just a tool to you after all._

-"Red!"

-"Just leave me alone!" Ivy snapped at her.

-Harley felt defeated. There was nothing she could do right now. But she still didn't want to leave her friend. She decided the best thing to do would be to return to the guest room Ivy always had prepared for her whenever she would visit and wait for her to cool off. Then maybe she would listen to her.

-Harley frowned and started to walk away. After she took a few steps from her friend she turned and, very sincerely, said, "I love you, Red".

-Ivy still didn't look at her. Her body tensed up as she cringed. She couldn't take anymore of Harley's lies.

-When Harley made it to the vine door and stepped out of the Eden, she heard Ivy's loud, agonized screams echo through the room. _OH GOD WHAT HAVE I'VE DONE! _Harley thought to herself.

-Harley ran down the corridor with her hands covering her face as she wept. When she was back inside the greenhouse, she burst into the guest room, slammed the door, threw herself onto the large, white bed on the far side of the room opposite the door, and sobbed into the mattress.

-Ivy's Eden had become a place of hell for her. She felt the need to cry but still refused to do so. And she could not vent her anger by beating her surroundings because that would entail harming her children. A part of her wanted to beat Harley but the other part of her knew that would make her just like the Joker. With no place to turn, Ivy could only scream like a wounded animal into the jungle. She grabbed at her own hair, her breathing became strained, and she fell to her knees. Then, after a few moments when her mind cleared a bit, she remembered the marijuana that she had stored close by. But that alone was not going to help her. She went over to a garden patch that housed nothing but pot leaves and mixed it with various hallucinogenic liquids from the plants surrounding the area. She then walked into a hollow tree that had been converted into a sort of makeshift steam room and tossed the drug onto the fire and the room quickly filled with mind numbing fumes. Soon, Ivy's senses became nullified and she allowed herself to slip out of reality.

-After fifteen minutes had gone by Harley was still crying. She had propped herself up against the bed frame and held her hands to her face as she wept. _I can't do anything right. All I wanted to do was make people happy. But all I ever do is hurt people. Maybe I'm not meant to be good._

-Suddenly, Harley heard a voice call her name. It sounded like a child's voice but Harley could not tell where it was coming from. When it called her again, she got up off the bed and walked out of the room.

-"Hello?" Harley called out, "Red, is that you?" There was no answer.

-Harley walked toward the corridor dreading the inevitable encounter with Ivy. As she slowly walked toward the vine door, she heard the voice call her name again. Harley swallowed nervously as she continued her approach. When she finally reached the entrance she stopped in front of it, terrified to cross behind it. She slowly brought a reluctant hand to the vines to push them aside but hesitated for a moment before her hand made contact. After working up some courage she pushed the vines aside and walked through them. However, instead of Poison Ivy's Eden, she found herself right in the middle of the Arkham Asylum cellblocks.

-Harley gasped. She turned around and, much to her surprise, she was standing right outside of her cell. The inside of it had been completely trashed. The bed had been pulled from the wall and the mattress has been ripped to pieces, the mirror on her wall had been shattered and Harley covered her mouth in horror as she stared at her reflection in the shards, and the walls had been riddled with graffiti that said things like "TRAITOR!" "LAIR!" "SLUT!", etc., and in the middle of the room Harley noticed a Queen of Hearts poker card that had been ripped in half. Harley remembered she had told Dr. Leland to give that card to Alice and a terrible though leaped into Harley's mind. _Oh God! I hurt her too!_

-Harley backed away from the cell and she felt herself bump into something. She turned around and saw Kristen standing behind her.

-"It's you!" Harley said surprised.

-"Harley, Harley you have to leave now," Kristen said anxiously.

-"Kristen, what's going on? How did I wind up here?"

-"There's no time to explain! He knows you're here! I can't protect you from him!"

-"Kristen, please you have to-" suddenly, the sound of scraping echoed in the darkness. Harley turned around and saw a shadowed figure walking toward her.

-"Harley run!" Kristen shouted.

-Harley grabbed Kristen and ran as fast as she could down the hallway. Before Harley reached the end, Kristen faded from her arms and Harley watched dumb-founded as Kristen was sucked into the figure's body. After a second or 2 Harley continued to run. Harley looked back to see how far ahead she was from her stalker but when she turned back around, she saw it coming from her direction. She froze in horror as the figure stepped into the light…and Harley was face to face with Alice. She was dressed in her work clothes and looked at Harley with wide eyes and a frown and she also had a lit cigarette in her lips. She did not move or speak.

-"M-Misses J?" Harley said nervously. Alice took the cigarette out of her mouth and blew the smoke in Harley's face causing Harley to cough.

-Harley broke down and threw her arms around Alice, but Alice did not move. "Oh please! Please forgive me! I wanted you to help me, but I…I was kidnapped". Harley looked into Alice's eyes, which retained their sadness. Harley's mouth slackened and she placed a hand on Alice's cheek. "Misses J, please hear me out, please. You're one of my best friends and I love you. I didn't mean to hurt you".

-After a few moments, Alice slowly lifted her hand and gently placed it on Harley's and smiled. Harley felt relief course through her and she began to smile as well. Then suddenly, Alice grabbed Harley's hand in a vice-grip and, before Harley even knew what was happening, Alice swung Harley to the side and hurled her through the glass door of one of the cells. But instead of landing in the cell, Harley was sent plummeting down a staircase inside of red-lighted room.

-The scars on Harley's back were wracked with pain from being slammed into the metal stairs and when Harley looked back up she saw Alice slowly walking toward her. She was no longer in her work clothes, but in her fighting clothes and her hair was tied up in a ponytail. As she casually walked toward Harley, she took her cigarette out and blew smoke like nothing had happened. When she reached the bottom of the stairs, she stopped in front of Harley and stared down at her. Harley stared back frozen with fear.

-Suddenly, Alice's blank expression turned to anger and she kicked Harley in the face with the sole of her black, leather boot and sent her to the ground.

-"Such a disappointment," she said bitterly. Alice leaned her face into Harley and Harley closed her eyes and forced herself to look away from Alice's fire furled eyes. "After I saved you from death, took you in, looked after you like a mother, tried to fix the loose screws in that messed up little brain of yours, you have the _nerve _to walk out on me?!" She shouted at Harley.

-"NO! Please, listen to me-"

-"I told you I wouldn't let anyone else harm you again, and yet you've caused great harm to my poor little heart. Don't you think my heart has taken enough abuse already?!"

-"YES!"

-"THEN WHY DID YOU LEAVE ME?!"

-"BECAUSE RED KIDNAPPED ME! SHE TRIED TO TURN ME AGAINST YOU! YOU HAVE TO BELIEVE ME!" Harley screamed through tears.

-There was a long silence. Eventually, Harley worked up enough courage to open her eyes. She slowly looked up and Alice had vanished. Now, standing in Alice's place, was Poison Ivy. Harley gasped in horror.

-"How _dare _you" Ivy said angrily.

-"Red…how-"

-"How many times have you come crawling to me like the insect that you are? '_Oh Red, Mista J threw me out again! But I'll go back to him so he can smack my ass around some more, because he loves me reeeeeally!" _She mockingly imitated Harley. Then suddenly, Harley's fear turned to anger. First she forces Harley back into crime, turns her new friend against her, and then uses her pain from the past to mock her? Now she had gone too far. Harley quickly rose to her feet and slapped Ivy across the face so hard that the sound echoed through the room.

-The force of the slap had caused Ivy's head to rotate off to the side. As soon as the red handprint on her cheek faded, Ivy slowly turned her head back to Harley. She now had an evil smile on her face that caused Harley to back away in fear. Ivy chuckled at Harley. "Why thank you, may I have another?"

-Now Harley was scared again. "Red, What's wrong with you?!"

-"Nothing dear", Ivy said sweetly, "I just wanted some more love".

-Harley stammered as she backed away, "I…I-"

-"Oh, come now, Harley-kins," Ivy said as she slowly started to walk toward her frightened friend, "You even told me so yourself: 'love hurts'. So I guess the Joker truly does love you more than me. I mean, all I've done is pamper you. And what has he done?" Ivy stopped for a second and tapped her finger on her chin in deep thought "Hmmm," then, she turned back to Harley. "First, there's all the times he _hit_ you!"

-On Ivy's right hand, which had been clenched in a fist, her pinky finger shot out straight and, out of no where, Harley was struck by a pain that felt like a thousand hands and fist all striking her in the face at the same time. Her eye went black, her lips became bloody and swollen, and her nose began to ooze blood. Harley screamed in agony and covered her face in her hands. When she pulled them away she stared horror stricken at her hands covered in her own blood.

-"Then, there's all the times he threw you on the curve" Ivy said as she straightened her ring finger. Then, Harley was struck by another pain all over her body, leaving skid marks, brush burns, and even a few fractured bones. Harley fell down on her left knee sobbing.

-"Please stop, please", She begged through her tears.

-"And then there was the time he broke your leg" Ivy said extending her index finger. The bone in Harley left leg broke in half with a crunching noise. Harley screamed a gut-wrenching cry of pain that sounded throughout the room and echoed for quite sometime before falling onto her side with tears gushing from her eyes. Ivy walked right up to her and looked down on her, smiling. She held up her hand, which still had her three fingers raised.

-"But this one…this one is my favorite: the time when you _just didn't get the joke"._ Harley's eyes widened in horror as the memory of that horrid experience popped into her mind. But before she even had a chance to open her mouth, Ivy extended her middle finger and Harley's body was sent flying off of a 15-foot ledge. The stitches on her back split apart, re-opening her wounds, and then her arms, head, neck, and back were struck with a slashing pain that felt like glass shards tearing at her skin, which left more cuts in their place. Then Harley landed on the ground with a force that fractured 6 of her vertebra. The pain caused Harley to go temporarily deaf and blind and she could not hear her own screams escape her throat until her voice gave out. Then her sight and hearing slowly returned.

-Harley weakly tilted her head up and saw Ivy looking down on her as her body towered over hers'. Ivy grabbed Harley and sat her up against a wall. "But, those are all just _my _personal favorites. What about _you? _I'm sure you must have quite a collection of fond memories of you and your loving 'Puddin'", Ivy said while dropping her 4 extended fingers on her right hand up and down on top of Harley's head.

-Harley didn't have the strength to scream, all she could do was weakly shake her head with her eyes pleading for mercy.

-"No? Well then", Ivy said as she stood up in front of Harley, her 4 fingers still extended. "I guess we'll just have to chose _all _of them!"

-Ivy held up her left hand alongside her right and shot up all 10 of her fingers. Harley's entire body was dealt a shockwave of excruciating pain that came from every single physical abuse the Joker had ever dealt her. Harley couldn't even tell if her body was whole anymore, for she could no longer feel most parts of her body.

-Ivy looked down on Harley in disgust. "I'm disappointed in you, Harley. You disrespected me. I could have given you a nice home, away from all those degenerates. But I blame myself; I should have known you'd turn away from me! YOU ARE LIKE THE BIG STUPID DOG WHO KEEPS RUNNING AWAY! EVEN THOUGHT YOUR MASTER SAYS 'IT'S TIME TO COME HOME!"

-Then Ivy let out a chuckle, but this was not her chuckle, but rather a deep, male chuckle. Harley closed her eyes and when she opened them, Ivy had turned into the Joker, who stood over her dropping a crowbar in and out the palm of his hand like a policeman with a baton. "So now, it's time to put this 'bad dog' to sleep". Harley's mouth hung open in horror. This was just like her nightmare!

-"FOR GOOD!" He shouted as he raised the crowbar over his head. Harley tried to crawl away but, before she could get both of her hands on the ground, the Joker slammed the crowbar down on Harley's right leg and broke it causing Harley to fall back in place. Harley couldn't scream but her mouth still opened in an attempt to do so. The Joker grabbed Harley's face and pulled it forward so she would meet his eyes. "Ya know something, Puddin, it's been a real hoot. But I'm afraid you've worn out your usefulness to me. In fact, you've been a waste of my time since the day I tricked you into setting me free", Harley's eyes shot open. The Joker _had_ been using her after all, "And now, it's time for you to take your medicine".

-Harley was helpless as the Joker struck her again and again with the crowbar, bruising and cutting flesh, breaking bones, and puncturing organs. As the life started to drain out of Harley, the Joker grabbed her by the throat and held her up in the air, only it didn't feel like the Joker's hands, nor did the chuckle that followed.

-Harley opened her eyes and the last thing she saw was Freddy's face, smiling at her. Freddy brought his right hand up and flicked his claws out. "Now then," Freddy said as he placed the tip of his index blade directly on Harley's cheek, "Let's put a smile on that face!" Then, just like in her nightmare, everything went black.

About an hour later, Poison Ivy stepped out of the Eden and began to walk down the corridor. The drugs had cleared her head and her anger had been lifted. The problem now, was that her anger had been replaced with a large amount of guilt. So what if Harley had shouted the wrong name? Harley's mind couldn't concentrate for more than a few minutes so maybe she just said the wrong thing while her mind was clouded from her pleasure. And maybe, just maybe, Ivy may have been a little jealous of Harley getting a new friend. And after all those years Ivy had spent pressuring her to find someone who would treat her respectively, Ivy guessed she never thought her friend would actually do it, and this made her realize that she was content to not have any competition for so long. Now able to see her own selfishness, Ivy slapped a hand to her face as she walked out of corridor and into the greenhouse.

-When Ivy put her hand down, she noticed Harley's shirt was still sitting on the couch. "Oh thank God! She's still here," Ivy said to herself with relief.

-Ivy walked down a small hallway until she reached the room that she had made up for Harley and gently tapped on the door. "Harley?" there was no response.

-"Hey Harley, it's me" Ivy sighed, "Look, I'm sorry, that whole mess back there was _my _fault not yours'. You're my best, oh hell, my _only _friend, Harley. Can we talk?" There was still no response. Ivy's throat started to tighten.

-"Harley please, I know you're in there. Just please, I…I swear, I will never hurt you again. And I sure as hell won't let anyone else do it either. Can I come in, please?" Still no reply.

-Ivy thought that maybe Harley had fallen asleep, but still, she was scared to enter the room and face her friend. She slowly brought a trembling hand up to the doorknob, but hesitated before touching it. After Ivy regained her nerve, she slowly turned the knob and the door opened with a loud creaking noise. The room was pitch black inside but the little light from the doorway enabled Ivy to see outlines in the room and Ivy saw Harley's outline. Harley was sitting up right against the bed frame. Her head was tilted but she didn't look like she was in the right position to be asleep. Ivy looked at her confusingly for a moment.

-"Harley?" Ivy waited. When no response came, she turned on the light…


	20. Chapter 18: Bullet to the Brain

_Nightmare in Arkham_

Chapter 18: "Bullet to the Brain"

-After Catwoman had informed them where to look, Batman and Alice raced to Robinson Park. But, even after the 30-minute drive, the two of them still had spent nearly an hour looking for the thorn mound that Catwoman had described. Morning was starting to cross over the sky and Alice's anxiety was starting to skyrocket. She knew Harley must have fallen asleep. And the more her mind concentrated on it, the more unpleasant memories from her past started to surface.

-Alice had smoked nearly an entire pack of cigarettes and was getting to the point where she was starting to cough uncontrollably. As she took out her last cigarette and started to place it in her mouth, Batman grabbed her arm.

-"Enough", he said, "You're going to make yourself sick".

-Before Alice could respond, a loud, blood-curdling scream echoed through the forest. The duo turned toward the direction of noise and both of their eyes widened in fear. Alice screamed out Harley's name and darted off in the direction of the scream and Batman followed behind her.

-After a short time, Alice and Batman came upon the mound, which had been hidden behind a thick grove of trees and foliage. Batman ordered Alice to stand back as he threw a small, metal shuriken on the mound that had a small, beeping light on it. Batman covered Alice and himself with his cape and, after a few seconds, the shuriken exploded, blasting a giant hole in the mound. Inside, there was an old abandoned structure that looked like it had once been a storage shed. Alice and the Dark Knight both burst through the door and found the inside completely empty. However, they could hear what sounded like the hysteric cries of a female voice.

-"Harley, is that you?" Alice shouted.

-Batman looked down and realized the cries were coming from under the floor. He reached down and found a loose board and when he pulled it, a trapdoor opened up revealing a staircase that led to the basement of the shed.

-Batman hurried down the stairs with Alice not far behind and they found Poison Ivy down on her knees in a severe state distress. She was breathing in sporadic, hyperventilating heaves while grabbing and pulling her hair. Her eyes were wide with horror and when Batman approached her, she vomited a large, green puddle onto the floor.

-Batman rushed toward the plant woman and grabbed her by the shoulders to keep her steady. "Ivy, what happened? Where is Harley?" Batman asked both pleading and demanding an answer.

-"HE…HE…HE DID IT! HE FINALLY DID IT! NOO! NO! NO! NO! NO! I CAN'T…CAN'T…I CAN'T BREATHE!" Batman could see that Poison Ivy was on the verge of going into shock and he took an oxygen mask from his belt and quickly brought it over Ivy's mouth and nose. After Ivy's breathing slowly started to calm down, Batman tried to ask her again but was interrupted by Alice's horrified cry of terror.

-"_NOOOOOOOOO! HARLEY!" _Alice screamed from down a hallway.

-Batman shot his head up. He turned back to Poison Ivy and told her to stay where she was and keep breathing in the mask before rushing to Alice's side. When he found her, she was on her knees in front of room with an open door sobbing with her hands covering her nose and mouth. _Oh dear God, no! _Batman thought to himself. He ran over to Alice, and when he saw what was in the room, all of the air rushed out of his lungs in one, long, horrified gasp.

-Sitting on a bed was the bloody, broken corpse of what used to be Harley Quinn. Both of her legs were twisted like a snake's body, her eyes had been damaged to the point where all the color, including the white part, had faded away, leaving nothing but two black, vacant pits that were once filled with a child-like happiness, her skin was so badly discolored that the only way Batman could tell it was her was from the color of her hair, but, most shocking of all, her lips had been cut from her face and both sides of her mouth had been sliced diagonally through her cheeks leaving a permanent, bloody smile and, carved into her abdomen, was the word "PUDDIN".

-Batman felt his stomach churn and he staggered back as he stared horror-stricken at the scene before him. After a moment, Batman slowly walked toward Harley's body, his breathing shaken. He stopped at the far side of the bed within arm's reach of the mangled corpse. Batman wanted to speak but said nothing; there was nothing to say. He had failed another one.

-Batman brought a trembling hand to Harley's face and gently closed her eyes. Then he dropped his head in despair. He stood by her while Alice sobbed in the doorway until both of them felt the ground start to shake under their feet.

-Poison Ivy's fear had converted to pure, blood fueled rage. She had gone down into her Eden and slammed both of her fists into the tree that stood before her memorial to her children and, with a loud, ear splitting cry, she sucked all of the life out of the tree and into her body causing the tree to decay and rot. But she didn't stop there: she drew in all of the strength and life out of every last plant, every last one of her children, until her Eden was reduced to a barren wasteland.

-Ivy's body had changed immensely from the energy she had gathered: her eyes had turned pure emerald green and shown so bright that they started to emit green beams of blinding light, the muscles in her body doubled in size, the tendrils on her body turned into black, thorn covered briars and the leaves that sprouted from the tendrils fell off to be replaced by giant, inch-long cactus spikes and some of the tendrils even broke off into thorny, whip-like vines, her teeth became sharp and pointed like the ones of a venus flytrap, and poison began to ooze from her mouth like a rabid dog. After her beastly transformation, she screamed in a manner that sounded like an animal roar.

-Batman and Alice ran into the now destroyed Eden and were dumb struck by Ivy's monstrous appearance. When Ivy saw them, she roared at them and swatted one of her arms off to the side causing the giant thorns on her arms to fire at them like missiles. The two of them leaped out of the way as the spears shot past them and Ivy shot one of her whipped tendrils to the ceiling where the thorns anchored themselves into the roof. Ivy then retracted the tendril causing her body to quickly lift off the ground toward the ceiling where she burst right through it and into the park.

-Batman and Alice ran to the spot where Ivy had ejected herself. As Batman reached for his grapple gun he looked at Alice and said, "Grab on". Alice grabbed onto Batman's torso as he hoisted himself and Alice to the surface. Once they were back in the park they heard Ivy's agonized roaring screams in the distance.

-"Oh no" Batman said with fear in his voice.

-"What is it?" Alice asked.

-"She's moving toward the city"

-"Well come on! Let's move!" Alice said grabbing Batman by the hand and running toward the Batmobile.

-As Batman started the car and the two of them sped toward the city Alice asked "Any ideas on where she might be heading".

-"One" Batman replied.

Poison Ivy tore through the city leaving a trail of destruction and pandemonium in her wake. Her speed was that of three lions and her agility was just as powerful. She ran through the streets and sent cars flying through the air and occasionally leaped into the air and swung through the city by her briar vines sending frightened pedestrians scattering like ants when she landed. A squad of SWAT team officers arrived on the scene with helicopters, barricades, and an armored truck with a gunman at the ready. Ivy took them out with no effort: She shot her spiked thorns clean through the shields of the officers before leaping into the air and grappling onto the helicopter and when she swung past the chopper and released it, the chopper plummeted to the ground right on top of the armored truck causing a massive explosion

Freddy watched the chaos from his lair on his screen while wearing a pair of 3D glasses and said to himself as he watched the shredded limbs and car parts go flying, "Great graphics".

-After a long rampage through Gotham, Ivy could see her destination: the "Laff City" theatre. Inside the theatre, the Joker sat on his couch with two of his henchmen. They were watching Dane Cook's standup show. One of his henchmen was laughing himself silly while the Joker and his other henchman starred at the screen confused.

-"Um, how is this guy being funny?" the first henchman asked.

-"Oh come on! Don't you get it? Okay here let me explain: ya see-" The henchman was cut off by a shotgun blast that blew his head to pieces.

-"Never…explain…a joke," the Joker said angrily. He then turned his attention back to the screen. "How is this guy being funny?" the Joker asked himself scratching his head.

-Then, out of nowhere, Ivy burst through the wall, smashing the television and sending debris flying across the room. The couch was knocked over and the Joker and his henchman fell behind it. When they rose to their feet the henchman was terrified at the sight of Poison Ivy while the Joker looked only mildly stunned.

-"Damn Pammy, you look good! You been workin out?"

-"_YOU!" _Ivy shouted angrily pointing a finger at the Joker, "YOU KILLED HARLEY!"

-"What the heck are you talking about? Harley's in the other room sleeping on her laid out newspap-I mean, cozy, comfy bed".

-"B-B-But boss, you threw her out 2 weeks ago, remember?" The henchman stated terrified.

-"Yeah, so what? You're saying she never came back? Huh…she usually shows up a few days later. That's just not like her to-" Ivy screamed and wrapped the Joker tightly in her briar vine as his henchman started to run in terror. Ivy shot her spear thorn at the henchman as he was making his way to the door and it struck him right in the upper back and penetrated out of his chest. He froze in place, gasping in agony before falling forward. The tip of the spike embedded itself in the ground and the body slid down the shaft leaving a coat of blood on the thorn. Then she turned her attention to the Joker. She starred angrily into his eyes with green fluid seeking through her teeth. The Joker swallowed nervously.

-_"Ivy Stop!"_ Batman shouted from the doorway. Ivy and the Joker turned to the hole in the wall and saw him and Alice standing there.

-"Please, don't do this" Alice begged as she approached the plant woman, "It wasn't him. It was-"

-"NO MORE LIES!" Ivy shouted and she struck Alice with the back of her hand sending her flying across the room where she slammed through the hard concrete wall. Ivy then sprinted toward the exit and knocked Batman aside as she fled into the city with the Joker.

-Batman rose to his feet and ran toward Alice, who was lying limply on the ground among the rubble from the wall. As he approached her she groaned in pain and tried to stand but when she pressed her hand on the ground she was dealt a jolting rush of agony as she fell back down.

-"What's wrong?" Batman asked concerned.

-"I…I think my arm's broken"

-"Alright, come on. I'm bringing you to the hospital", Batman said as he tried to lift Alice's good arm over his shoulder.

-"No, go after them" Alice insisted, "I'll be fine".

-"Alice-"

-"No more innocent people have to die!" Alice shouted. Then she started to cry as she thought about Harley.

-Batman hesitated for a moment. If Alice had any idea of what the Joker was truly like he knew she wouldn't have said that. But it didn't take long for the pain in Alice's eyes from losing her friend, which completely disregarded her broken arm, clicked in his head. They were the same eyes Batman knew he must have had after losing his parents. Batman took a step back and ran toward his car and sped away following the trail of destruction Ivy left behind. After following the trail for some time Batman soon realized where Ivy was heading: the Ace Chemical Processing Plant (the Joker's birthplace).

Inside the plant, Ivy had beaten the Joker to a bloody pulp with a crowbar. Blood was dripping from his ears, eyes, nose, and mouth and his clothes were all ripped and tattered and Ivy was still in the process of bashing him with the instrument he had threatened Harley with.

-"HOW DOES IT FEEL?!" (bash), "HUH?!" (bash) "HOW DOES IT-" (bash) "FUCKING-" (bash) "FEEL?!"

-"Hehe-" The Joker choked up blood and continued to weakly answer with a weak, scratchy voice doing his best to smile, "Ah, ya know, only hurts when I laugh".

-"GOOD!" Ivy shouted before slamming the crowbar down on the Joker's arm, breaking it in half. The Joker screamed in pain before calmly saying "That was my funny bone".

-Ivy screamed in a rage and tightly wrapped her barded vines around the Joker before violently slamming him against the wall. The Joker rolled on the ground with thorns sticking out of his body. Ivy then grabbed the Joker by the hair and dragged him across the ground, up a long flight of metal stairs and across a metal catwalk that hung over a giant vat of bubbling chemicals. Ivy hoisted the Joker up by his hair and held him in front of her face.

-"I'm going to crush your larynx so that you'll never be able to use that disgusting voice ever again, not even in the depths of hell! But I'll be sure to carve a smile in your face so you'll be able to look happy for the rest of your pathetic, miserable existence as the eternal fires burn your rotten flesh! Them I'm going to drop you in that vat of chemicals! The same filth that brought you into this world will take you out!"

-The Joker coughed blood in Ivy's face and gave a faint, agonized, heaving chuckle before saying "If you have to explain a joke…" (cough), "…there is no joke".

-Ivy angrily growled at the Joker and was about to squeeze down on the Joker's neck before a bat-ar-ang struck her hand, causing her to drop the Joker. Ivy howled in pain as she held her hand and angrily searched for the source of her attack. She spotted Batman standing a fair distance behind her on the catwalk.

-"Ivy, you have the wrong person! The Joker didn't kill Harley! You have to listen-"

-"STAY OUT OF THIS!" Ivy screamed as she lashed her vine whip at Batman who dodged out of the way.

-"Ivy, I don't want to hurt you"

-"Too bad because I do!" Ivy shouted as she launched a thorn spear out of her body and at the Dark Knight. Batman caught the spike and tossed it aside.

-Ivy sprinted toward Batman and tackled him to the ground, "All these years I could have killed that pile of evil death-worshipping garbage, I could have saved God knows how many lives, but I chose to let him live so Harley would be happy! Now I've paid for it with her life!"

-"Ivy please-"

-"NO!" Ivy finally overpowered Batman and threw him over the edge of the catwalk but he managed to grab a hold of the side just in time before falling into the pool of chemical waste. "I'm done listening! Listening to people has always been the worst mistake of my life!" Ivy stomped her foot down on Batman's fingers. Batman growled with pain through his teeth but kept his hold on the catwalk. "I'm going to kill you too. Then I'll be rid of _both _of my worst pains!"

-"No you won't" Batman said bluntly.

-"Why not?!" Ivy shouted as she leaned her face into Batman's.

-"Because killing us won't bring Harley back! Nothing will!" Batman shouted at her as he looked directly into her eyes. The moment those words escaped Batman's lips, Ivy froze in place. She looked as if she had been shot. Her mouth hung open and her eyes widened into a vacant, blank stare. _Nothing will! Nothing will!_ Those words shot through Ivy's head like a bullet. The realization had finally hit Ivy: Harley really was gone. The one person that Ivy was capable of loving was gone forever. And now, she truly was doomed to be alone for the rest of her life. As if a dam had suddenly burst open behind Ivy's eyes, all of the tears she had suppressed for so many years came pouring out in one loud sob. Ivy's body started to return back to normal as her wounded cries echoed through the room.

-Batman pulled himself back up onto the catwalk and by the time he stood up Ivy was back in her semi-human body curled up on her knees with her arms tightly wrapped around her body. Her tears had already formed a massive puddle on the ground in front of her but she continued to sob uncontrollable with no signs of slowing up.

-Batman looked on Ivy with complete sympathy and started to make his way toward her and offer her whatever comfort he could. However, before he could reach her, Ivy suddenly started to breathe erratically and she pressed both hands on her chest right above her heart as she began to scream in agony. Batman froze in fear not knowing what was happening. But as Ivy fell forward and rolled onto her back in her own tears, her body spasming uncontrollably, Batman soon realized she was having a heart attack.

-He ran to her as she passed out and performed CPR on her but stopped just before giving her mouth-to-mouth having realized that if he did so he would be poisoned. Batman tried to use harder compressions on Ivy's chest but it was no use, Ivy had already slipped out of consciousness.

-The Joker, who had risen to his feet with his broken body being supported by the railing of the catwalk, chuckled and said, "Well what do ya know: the plant monster had a heart after all".

-The Joker's sick remark turned off Batman's rational thinking for a second and he shot to his feet growling with anger and, in one quick motion, he spun around and plowed his fist into the side of the Joker's head, sending him plummeting over the side and into the vat of chemicals below. His body splashed down on the surface and vanished into the abyss of the boiling, yellow liquid just as it had all those years ago. Then Batman's senses slowly returned to him and he backed away in horror. _Oh God, what have I done_ Batman thought to himself.

-But his attention soon broke from the Joker and back to the unconscious, but still alive, Poison Ivy lying motionless on the ground. Batman grabbed her and rushed her to his car to find her medical attention.

Freddy, who had watched the whole thing, smiled with delight. "Wow, what a great twist ending. I was expecting Little Miss Poison Kiss to take care of the one who never sleeps. But, it turns out, the one who never _kills_ took care of the job." After taking a few moments to reflect on the spectacle that he had just witnessed, Freddy rose to his feet. "Well, now that the one who never sleeps is now sleeping for good, I guess now would be a good time to get back to work," he said as he walked to an unfinished device that sat on a stand in front of his screen alongside the card that he had stolen from Mad Hatter.

Somewhere, within the dream realm, Poison Ivy opened her eyes and was horrified by her surroundings. She was locked inside of her cell in Arkham tied down to the dry, barren floor by the tendrils on her body and she was surrounded by a bunch of dead and decaying plants. But the most horrifying sight was what stood before in place of the glass door to her cell: a giant mirror. Although Ivy's body was in its normal state, her reflection still shown as the monster she had turned herself into with the life of her children. _So this is what my children died for? So I could turn into this monstrosity?_ "NO!" Ivy tried to look away but her roots kept her from moving and when she turned her head all she could see were the dead bodies of the plants. Ivy screamed, but her screams never left the inside of her prison.


	21. Chapter 19: Held Close to the Heart

_Nightmare in Arkham:_

Chapter 19 "Held Close to the Heart"

_Dear readers: I apologize for the long time that it took to get this chapter up. This one was actually my greatest challenge because, aside from school and work, this was the first chapter that I had come to in quite a while were I wasn't sure how I was going to continue the story. However, I think I have come up with a good piece in which to keep things rolling. In the event that a chapter takes a while to show up don't fret. The story is not over until I say it's over._

Inside of a dark dressing room, Barbara Gordon sat slumped in a chair with her arms bound with rope behind the chair. Her mouth was still forced open by the fake smiling teeth that had been placed in her mouth and her face was covered in tear stains and her eyes were bloodshot red from her crying as she was forced to look at her reflection in the mirror that stood before her. A woman stood behind Barbara in the shadows brushing her hair while humming, "_Here Comes the Bride_".

-"Oh, sweetie," the woman said in calm, soft voice while gently brushing a tear from Barbara's cheek. As she did so, she left a blood smear on Barbara's face. "I know how excited you must be to finally become joined together with your true love". Barbara sobbed through her gag.

-"Oh yes," the woman said cupping both of her hands gently onto Barbara's cheeks, "you are one lucky woman". The woman let go of Barbara's cheeks and slowly walked into the light that was being emitted from the dim bulbs that lined the frame of the mirror. "I was almost as lucky as you once. But love can be just as cruel as the people you give it to. Here's some free advice honey…" the woman said calmly. She turned around and revealed herself as the broken corpse of Harley Quinn. She still had a gaping hole in her chest from where the Joker had shot her and now it also sustained the damage that had been inflicted by Freddy. "…Never let a man steal your heart; hold it close and give it to him willingly". Since Harley no longer had any lips, her jaws simply opened slightly as the words escaped her mouth. As Barbara looked into Harley's black, beaded eyes that looked as lifeless as the eyes of a doll, a blanket of shock silenced her screams.

_MEANWHILE…_

-Bruce Wayne stood a top the podium inside of the Gotham Cathedral next to a large portrait of Harleen Quinzel that was adorned in flowers. Alice sat on a wooden bench in the front row aisle weeping with a hand to her face. Her other arm was wrapped in a cast that was colored black and red and crossed over her lower chest at a bent angle. She was dressed in all black and had tried to hide her tears with black sunglasses but was too distraught to fool anyone. Dr. Thompkins sat beside Alice rubbing her shoulder comfortingly. Sitting next to Dr. Thompkins was Alfred, who kept his eyes glued onto his employer at all times. Dick Grayson and Jim Gordon sat next to Alfred. Dick and Jim both remained silent as they held their heads down in sadness.

-Selina Kyle slowly walked down the main aisle and took a seat on the bench right behind Alice. She looked at Alice as she wept and then to Dr. Thompkins, who returned her gaze with heavy eyes and a slow shake of the head. Selina's gaze drifted toward Bruce Wayne. She noticed instantly the pain in his eyes. He looked like he had not slept in days (no doubt because he was hard at work arranging Harley's funeral service). Selina wondered why Bruce would have gone through so much trouble all for someone who had wronged him and so many others in the past. But, at the same time, she felt glad that he did. Harley may have been a psychotic nut-job but she didn't deserve to die the way she did. Then, as she looked at Harleen's picture, Selina began to wonder what Harley could have been like had it not been for the Joker. She looked so innocent in the portrait; so natural, so ambitious. She looked like someone who had goals of her own, other than aiding someone in fulfilling theirs and maybe Harley _could _have taken that path again. But now, nobody would ever know for sure and the thought brought a tear to Selina's eye.

-As the attendants sat in their places, the doors to the cathedral opened. Everyone turned to the door and Dr. Leland slowly made her way down the aisle as she wept in pain. Following behind her were all of Alice's patients. Each of them was formally dressed in black, even Killer Croc, who rarely wore a shirt. Mr. Freeze had what looked like a diving suite under his black attire that was actually a freeze suite that enabled him to walk around without his containment.

-Bruce Wayne was startled to see the inmates from Arkham walking toward him. But what startled him even more was, not only their civilized demeanor, but also the emotion that each of them displayed: deep, undeniable sadness. Edward Nigma and Bane held their heads down with a large frown drawn onto their faces. Penguin was bawling into his handkerchief while Killer Croc was desperately trying to fight back tears. It was hard to tell what was going through Harvey Dent's mind but when he and the other patients reached the front row and took their seats on the opposite side of the aisle as Alice and the rest of the attendants, Harvey stopped and looked up at Bruce. It was then that Bruce saw the tear marks on Harvey's face from his crying prior to his arrival.

-"Bruce…" Harvey said in his normal voice from before the accident. Bruce's eyes widened after hearing his friend's real voice again after so many years.

-"Yes Harvey?" Bruce responded.

-"I…I just…" Harvey cringed with sadness for a moment, turning his head and closing his eyes as he tried to hold back more tears. When he opened his eyes, he was looking straight at Harleen's picture. The sight of it caused the tears to fall from Harvey's eyes. He turned back to Bruce with the tears still visible on his cheeks. "I just wanted to thank you for doing this. She was a good kid," he said before taking his seat.

-After the priest of the church gave Harleen her final blessings and prayers, each of the funeral attendants had their chance to stand up and share their feelings and memories of Harley and the impact she had on their lives. Bruce was at a loss for words to hear some of the things the Arkham patients had to say: each of them claimed that they had come to realize just how much of a valued part of their lives Harley was thanks to Dr. Johnson. In the past week, she had made a family out of them and, to many of the patients, Harley started to feel like a "baby sister" that they never had. And they claimed that, for the first time, they finally understood what it really feels like to lose something they loved and it also made them realize just how valuable Jonathan Crane and Jervis Tech were to them.

-When it was time for Bruce to speak he claimed the only memory he had of Harley was when he saw her, for the first time, without any makeup. He claimed that it was such a beautiful image because, even though he knew he was talking to the same coot that had caused the city so much mayhem, he felt like he saw a "new Harleen", one that was actually trying to find the right path in a world that she just couldn't understand, nor could it understand her. And when he heard about how one of Harley's "bad days" took its toll on her and landed her back into Arkham, he realized maybe Harley, as well as all of the other famous criminals in Gotham, were all just fighting against the bad days that they constantly had to face without anyone's help. He began to think that, in spite of the reputation that they had earned from the media, each of them still had a chance to turn over a new leaf and find their place in the world. Bruce ended his speech with: "If there is anything that we can learn from someone like Harleen Quinzel, it's that we all must look for the best in humanity."

-When Bruce spoke those last words, everyone in the aisles began to cry. But the ones who were crying the hardest were Dr. Leland and Alice. However, they were crying for different reasons: Dr. Leland cried with sorrow because she had thought everything that Bruce had said about Harleen but now the chance to help her had been shattered, but Alice cried with a touch of joy having heard someone who shared her exact same views on society.

Sometime later, everyone was standing inside of the lobby of the church socializing. Some of the patients in Arkham were laughing with each other as they remembered the good times with Harley, some of them were even talking with Dr. Thompkins and Gordon and they even went so far as to wish his daughter well. Alfred and Dick both looked at each other in disbelief at how well behaved the Arkham villains were being.

-"It's like they're not even the same people anymore," Dick said to Alfred.

-"Indeed, this Dr. Johnson must possess superb psycho intellect. Either that, or her 'temperamental side' may have been strong enough to scare them all straight".

-"_What about my temperamental side?" _Alice said from behind Alfred and Dick causing both of them to jolt in surprise. When they turned to her, Alice giggled a bit, despite the red tear marks on her cheeks.

\- Dick put his hands up and tried to explain, "Oh no! We didn't mean-"

-"Calm down kid, I'm just messin with ya". Alice extended her good hand. "I'm Alice…"

-Dick took Alice's hand and shook it. "Dick Grayson, and this is Alfred".

-"Charmed," Alfred said taking Alice's hand and kissing it. Alice smiled at Alfred's gentleman introduction.

-Dick looked at Alice's cast. "So, what happened? You punch through a wall or something?"

-Alice chuckled, "Close enough".

-"Master Dick and I were just talking about what a smashing job you've done with your patients. I never dreamed I'd live to see them this tame. What's your secret".

-"No secret; just a pair of open eyes, ears, and arms."

"Hmm, Indeed," Alfred said looking at Alice's cast.

-"You work for Mr. Wayne, right?" She asked Alfred.

-"That's correct Miss, for over 30 years I've worked for his family. He's like a son to me". Alice nodded her head before she turned to Dick.

-"And are you his son?"

-"Adopted son. He took me in after my parents died".

-"He seems like a very respectable man".

-"Oh, you have no idea, very few people are aware of just how noble Master Bruce truly is," Alfred said to Alice.

-"Well, after he did all of this, I think I have a pretty clear picture".

-Alfred and Dick both looked behind Alice. Alice noticed this and she turned around to see Dr. Leland slowly making her way toward her. Her face was still wet from her tears and it looked like she still had plenty more to shed. She stopped in front of Alice and looked at Dick and Alfred. She said hello to them and they returned the greeting, albeit solemnly having taken note of her sadness. After looking Dr. Leland in silence for a short moment, Alice opened her one good arm to her and wrapped it around Dr. Leland's upper back as she wept on Alice's shoulder. After the embrace, Dr. Leland looked at Alice with tears running down her face.

-"Alice…" she said with a tightened voice.

-"What is it Joan?" Alice asked sympathetically.

-"I…I just wanted to tell you how sorry I am that things turned out the way they did," Dr. Joan stopped and cried silently for a few seconds before continuing, "but I wanted you to know…she didn't want to run away".

-"What do you mean?" Alice asked.

-"Harley didn't run away by choice. That bitch, Poison Ivy, kidnapped her. I saw her right before she left. You should have seen how upset she looked". Dr. Leland reached into her purse and took out the Queen of Hearts card. "She asked me to give this to you," Dr. Leland said handing the card to Alice. Alice's mouth slackened in surprise as she slowly took the card. "Look Alice…" Dr. Joan tried to speak but her voice grew more and more shaken as she spoke but she still tried to sound strong for Alice, "…if you need anything…anything at all…" Dr. Leland broke down crying again and Alice wrapped her arm tightly around her.

-"I know, Joan, I know," Alice said as she wiped a tear from her own face. After a short time, Dr. Leland dried her eyes and after she and Alice said their goodbyes Dr. Leland walked away.

-"You were really close to Harley, weren't you?" Dick asked.

-Alice nodded. "The funny thing is, I knew her for such a short time and yet, she felt like a daughter to me".

-"For what it's worth," Dick said, "I know how it feels to lose someone you care about".

-"So do I," Alice responded, "The pain never really goes away but it gets better in time. It's going to be a while, but eventually, I'll be able to keep moving forward. After all, the night's always darkest just before the dawn."

-"Very good Miss Johnson, spot-on," Alfred replied, "That's exactly what I told Master Bruce after his tragedy".

-Alice turned to Alfred, "His tragedy?" She asked with interest.

Bruce Wayne sat in the front row of the altar with Dr. Thompkins sitting close by. He kept his eyes fixed on the portrait of the woman that he had failed to save. His face was riddled with despair.

-"You can't blame yourself," Dr. Thompkins said to him.

-"I could have saved her," Bruce responded sadly.

-"You did everything you could Bruce, you just weren't able to get to her in time".

-"No, I could have saved her years ago. I could have saved her from taking the path that she chose. I could have prevented that sociopathic lunatic from brainwashing her. I could have stopped this whole thing before it started".

-"Bruce, you know you can't think like that".

-"But it's true".

-"Stop it!" Dr. Thompkins shouted. Then she continued calmly, "No one can save every human being. I couldn't give you an estimate of how many people I've tried to save but failed. But I keep doing my job because I know I have the power to save lives, even if I'm not always successful, and so people depend on me to continue doing what I do best. You've saved more lives than any doctor in this entire city Bruce".

-"Did I tell you that I also _took _one?"

-Dr. Thompkins fell silent, "What do you mean?"

-"The Joker's dead. He pushed me over the edge. I…I lost control and-"

-"Don't tell me your actually beating yourself up over that. You ended that reprehensible scum's rein of terror for good".

-"At the cost of someone's life".

-"How many lives has _he _taken? And after what he did to Harley, I would be surprised if you _hadn't _done it".

-"That's not the point. I'm not supposed to allow myself to fall to that level. I swore I would never allow myself to dive into that place. And on top of that, Ivy's in a comma because of me".

-"What?" Dr. Thompkins asked both surprised and confused.

-"She suffered a heart attack after I put her in a state of emotional distress. Her life is now in danger because of me!"

Before Dr. Thompkins could say another word, one of the side doors opened and Alice walked in. She looked at Bruce and slowly made her way toward him. Dr. Thompkins sat down as she watched Alice's approach.

-"Hi" Alice said to Bruce.

-"Hello, Dr. Johnson, is that correct?" Bruce said back.

-"Alice," she answered, "I just wanted to thank you for everything you've done. You have no idea how much this means to me".

-"Of course," Bruce said.

-"I met your son and butler; they're very nice people".

-"Oh, well I'm pleased you were given a chance to meet them. Ya know they really admire your work and-"

-"They told me about your parents". Bruce fell silent. "I think it's absolutely remarkable how someone who experienced something so tragic at such a young age could have made such incredible strides in life. Believe me Mr. Wayne I know how it feels to lose a family. But there's something I want you to promise me that you'll do no matter what".

-"Certainly Alice".

-"Hold onto the ones you have. The funny thing about tragedy is that it makes you realize just how lucky you are to still have people who remain at your side. Alfred, Dick, Dr. Thompkins, they're all wonderful people and you're lucky to have such a strong family. Hold onto them and never let them go".

-After a moment, Bruce smiled at Alice and hugged her, taking care not to hurt her injured arm. "Thank you, Dr. Johnson".

-"You can call me-"

-"I know, but when someone does their job, I like to address them formally".

-Alice smiled at Bruce's remark. After bidding him farewell, Alice walked out the doors and back into the lobby. She then gazed out at all of her patients and she knew that, since her family was gone, they were the ones she had to hold onto. Alice took the card that Dr. Leland gave her and put it to her chest as she silently vowed to protect her new family.

_MEANWHILE…_

Within Barbara's nightmare, she stood at the altar tied up right to a hand truck as the Mad Hatter proclaimed, "I know pronounce you man and wife! You may now _carve _the bride!" Mad Hatter then tossed the Joker a rusty knife and Barbara's eyes widened as she shrieked in horror.

-"Oh this?" the Joker said to her, "Don't worry, this won't hurt at all. It's just a little procedure I came up with that will make it so that you and I will always be smiling naturally. You don't actually need _these _to make you smile, do you?" The Joker asked as he removed the false teeth from Barbara's mouth.

-"HELP ME! SOMEBEDOY HELP ME!" Barbara shouted desperately.

-"Oh, fine, I'll have the Bridesmaid do it to me first so you'll see how painless it is. Bridesmaid, get up here!" Harley, or the Bridesmaid, got up from one of the benches and blindly hobbled over to the Joker and Barbara. "Be a dear and slice off my face, would ya?" The Joker asked politely.

-"Sure sweetie" the Bridesmaid said in a sweet, soothing voice. She took the knife from the Joker and plunged the tip into the Joker's forehead. Blood spurted from the wound as the flesh was ripped apart but the Joker took no notice of his injury.

-Barbara screamed in terror as the Bridesmaid cut across the Joker's forehead. The skin made a gritty noise as it was ripped apart. Once the cut was made all the way across the forehead, the Bridesmaid dug her finger's into the open wound and pulled down, tearing the Joker's face completely off like a piece of wrapping paper. When the Joker looked up, the sight of him caused Barbara to throw up as he stared at her with his bare, blood caked face that was now nothing but muscle. As the Joker had explained, he now bore a permeate smile since the skin around his mouth had been removed and his bulbous eyes that he now had, thanks the removal of skin around them, added to his morbid grin.

-"Now it's time for _yours'," _the Bridesmaid said to Barbara.

-"No! No Please! Don't!"

-"Hold still, honey, or I'll wind up poking you in the eye". The Bridesmaid brought the knife to Barbara's head made a small cut as Barbara sobbed in despair. However, before the Bridesmaid could finish the job, a loud scrapping noise filled the air.

-Everything in the room froze in place except for Barbara, the Mad Hatter, and the Bridesmaid. The Headless Horseman burst through the doors. "Come on, the boss is calling us".

-"Oh fiddlesticks! And just when we were getting to the good part! Oh well, come on Bridesmaid," Mad Hatter said as he took Harley by the hand.

-"What? But-"

-"We'll finish up this little game when we get back. When the boss calls we answer, no exceptions".

-"Oh okay".

-The monsters all ran out of the altar room and into the dressing room where they leaped through the mirror. Barbara was puzzled as she stood alone in her nightmare. The Joker had completely frozen in place as if he were nothing more than a statue and the knife remained suspended in the air with the tip of the blade still in the process of cutting through Barbara's flesh. Barbara could see the blood dripping from the tip…but she felt absolutely no pain at all.

Inside Freddy's lair, the prison that Barbara's body was encased in gave off a bright flashing glow and the three monsters came crawling out of it. However, they were startled to find that they were not in the boiler room setting. They were inside of a large control room that looked to be part of an insane asylum. There were various stairways and catwalks that stretched over a deep pit that had nightmarish looking maniacs running amok like demons in the pits of hell.

-"_There you freaks are"_, said a voice from behind the monsters. They turned to see their master standing behind them.

-"What? Where?" asked the Bridesmaid, "I can't see anything". Freddy chuckled with amusement.

-"Whatcha call us for boss?" asked the Mad Hatter.

-"Why, to show you my finished project," Freddy said, "Ya see, after that bitch Alice decided to spoil the fun by taking the dreams out of my children's heads, I came up with a way to put the dreams right back into their heads". Freddy turned to the Mad Hatter. "Thanks to you, I was able to create this," Freddy said motioning toward a large circuit board whose vectors looked like they were arranged in the form of a city map. Jervis' card had been mounted right in the center of the board. The board was hooked up to various cables that emitted blue electric currents that fed into the screen that displayed Freddy's victims.

-"W-What is it?" asked the Bridesmaid.

-"This, my dear, is the stuff nightmares are made of. You see that thing in the center?" Freddy asked pointing his index blade at the card. "That card was designed to control people's minds. It can dictate everything that goes on inside of someone's head, including their dreams. So I used some of my own nightmare powers and combined them with the technological brilliance of our beloved Mad Hatter", Mad Hatter smiled and blushed, "to create a second dream world! A world where everyone has dreams…_my _dreams. Think of it as a sort of private 'Wonderland'".

-"OH YES! YES! OH GLORIOUS PLAN! FADOULS PLAN! OH CALLOOH CALLAY! CALLOOH CALLAY!" Mad Hatter proclaimed with excitement.

-Freddy smiled at him evilly. "You like it huh? Wait til ya see the Wonderland for yourself. Follow me". Freddy walked toward a set of steel doors with his nightmare creations following behind. He stopped in front of the door and threw both of his arms into the air causing the doors to fly open leading to a large balcony under a sky of dark, smog filled clouds. Freddy strolled over to the edge of the balcony and stood on the railing with his gloved arm pointing out toward the landscape.

-When his monsters reached the edge of the balcony and peered out, they beheld the sight of what appeared to be an entire city that had been taken over by Hell. All of the buildings were covered in rot and decay, many of the buildings had signs with blinding lights emitting from them, there were massive funnels that reached to the sky and spewed fire and smoke into the air, a giant steel fence barricaded the city making it seem like a prison ground, rain drizzled over the decrepit slum as if the heavens themselves were saddened by the mere image of this horrid wasteland, and there was not a single speck of life to be found anywhere.

-Freddy turned back to his minions and shouted with pride, "Ladies and gentlemen: welcome to Arkham City!" Then he let out a loud, victorious cackle that echoed through his new nightmare domain.


	22. Chapter 20: Tick Tock

_Nightmare in Arkham_

Chapter 20: "Tick Tock"

_My God, I can't believe it's already been a whole year since I started writing. It feels like I started this story only yesterday._

-Barbara Gordon fiddled around with the ropes that held her hands together behind her back and eventually she was able to wiggle them free. She then began to work on the ropes that wrapped around her body that held her to the hand truck. She untied the ropes slowly knowing that, since her legs were no longer of use, she would fall down once there was nothing holding her up. However, once Barbara was completely free, she was dumbfounded to find that her legs still held her up! In fact, despite the fact that Barbara could not feel the lower part of body, she found that she was able to lift her legs, wiggle her toes, and even take steps. Barbara was puzzled; she brought a hand behind her back and, just as she thought, her hand had found the wounds. Barbara brought her hand up and saw that it was covered in blood. She looked at the knife that was still suspended in the air that had more of her blood on the tip of it.

-_But if I can bleed…why can't I feel pain?_

-Barbara took small steps as she tried to ground herself but she caught a glimpse of the Joker's skinless face as it stared blankly at her. This caused her to falter and, as she tried to turn away from the Joker, she fell backward. Barbara expected herself to bump into the mutilated fiend. Instead, Barbara passed through him the same way her father had when she held her hand out to him. When Barbara landed, the lower half of her body tumbled over her upper half and when Barbara rose, she was surprised to see that the entire upper portion of her body had stretched outward between her legs. Barbara pushed on the ground and her body twisted in a straight alignment as she stood on her hands. As Barbara relaxed, her back bent forward at a 360 degree angle at the site where the spine had been broken and Barbara snapped back upright in a standing position. Then suddenly, Freddy's words played in Barbara's head: _You wanna know the secret of pain? If you just stop feeling it, you can start using it._

Freddy watched his screen with anticipation as he awaited the first of his victims to fall asleep. The Headless Horseman, the Mad Hatter, and the Bride's Maid were all standing by as they awaited their master's orders.

-"So, how does this usually work? When these people fall asleep do we just jump out and say 'Bo'?" The Bride's Maid asked.

-The Mad Hatter chuckled. "Oh no, no, nothing like that; not at all my dear. Just follow our lead, this type of work is easy to master very quickly".

-"Especially since we have the embodiment of fear as our teacher," the Headless Horseman added.

-There was loud beeping noise on the screen; the moment had arrived.

-"God I've missed that sound," Freddy said happily.

-"So, what's the plan boss? You want us to leap on them from the shadows-"

-"Actually, you two gentlemen are free to go?"

-"Huh?" The Mad Hatter asked confused.

-"I won't be needing you for this one. He's just right for the pickin". Then he turned to the Bride's Maid. "But I want you to come with me," he said.

-"Who…me?" The Bride's Maid asked.

"Yes you child. I want you to get a feel for the hunt. But I think it best I start you off easy. Just do as you are told."

-"But…but the wedding-"

-"It can wait!" Freddy snapped angrily. Then he said calmly, "Besides, I thought you'd leap at the chance to avenge you're Puddin."

-"What do you mean? I don't have a Puddin."

-"Sure you do…or _did; _until those bastards killed him!"

-"Someone killed my Puddin?" The Bride's Maid asked without emotion.

-"Yes, now you can finally kill the pigs that broke your heart!" Freddy said.

-"But I don't have a heart," the Bride's Maid responded casually pointing to the gaping hole in her chest.

-Freddy chuckled. "So you say; prove it to me. Help me kill those meat sacs."

-"Well….Okay." The Bride's Maid took Freddy's hand. Freddy then turned back to his minions. "In the meantime," he looked up at Barbara's catatonic body, "I want you to continue entertaining our guest," Freddy smiled evilly. Freddy vanished in a mass of flames taking the Bride's Maid with him as he set out to hunt his quarry.

-"Oh splendid!" The Mad Hatter exclaimed excitedly, "Chop! Chop!" he said turning back to the Horseman, "We're late! We're late! For a very important game!" The Mad Hatter rushed toward Barbara's prison but, right before he had a chance to leap back into Barbara's nightmare, the prison slowly began to glow a bright red.

-The Mad Hatter froze in place and starred in surprise as glass started to crack leaving bright, crimson red fractures that quickly covered the entire prison.

-The Mad Hatter's eyes shot open in horror as if he had just come to an unpleasant realization. Then, like an over-filled balloon, the prison exploded in a shattering flash that sent red smoke and glass fragments scattering in all directions. The two monsters drew back in shock. The Headless Horseman's horse leapt onto its hind legs neighing viciously as the rider was sent tumbling backward to the ground. The Mad Hatter coughed heavily in the crimson haze that now filled the room.

-Suddenly, the Mad Hatter was dealt a violent blow that knocked his head off and sent it rolling across the floor stopping just on the edge of the dark pit in the center of the room. The Mad Hatter's head faced the pit, his eyes wide with the fear of falling into that dark cavern. The Mad Hatter's headless body ran blindly about the room.

-When the smoke cleared, the Headless Horseman saw Barbara Gordon charging at him. He quickly took out his scythe and took a swipe at her but she bent her back at a 90-degree angel and grabbed the scythe as it passed over her. Her body flew through the air as she clung to the scythe. The Horseman held the weapon in the air with Barbara still hanging onto the end of the 10 foot instrument of death. Without warning, she leapt from the end of the blade and knocked the Horseman from his horse, pinning him to the ground. The scythe fell from his hand and landed on the ground out of his reach.

-"Tell me where he is! Now!" Barbara demanded angrily as the Horseman struggled to free himself from her grasp.

-The Horseman saw that his flaming head had fallen from his horse's satchel and was lying at his feet. He kicked the head and it rolled over to the Mad Hatter's headless body that was blindly running in circles trying to find it's own head. The flaming scarecrow head stopped within the Hatter's path and the body tripped over it. Thinking it had recovered its lost control center, it picked the head up and placed it on the stumpy neck. Now the Horseman had a second body he could control.

-While Barbara was occupied with the headless body within her grasp, the second body grabbed the scythe and violently struck Barbara vertically on her upper back with so much force that the blade penetrated through her chest and impaled her onto the body that lie beneath her.

-The Horseman's second body lifted the weapon into the air laughing victoriously as flames shot from his mouth; Barbara and the headless body were still sandwiched on the blade. "They say 'two heads are better than one', well, one head is just as good with two bodies".

-As the scarecrow head looked up at his slain trophy, Barbara looked back at him smiling. The scarecrow head gasped in surprise. "Yeah, well that head won't do you much good without a brain!" Barbara spat back.

-Barbara then slid her body farther back onto the blade until the whole thing had passed through her chest. Then she allowed her still impaled body to slide down the vertical shaft of the scythe toward her startled attacker. When her body reached the bottom of the shaft, Barbara kicked the scarecrow head in the face, knocking it off of the Hatter's body. Barbara landed on her feet and pulled the small end of the shaft out of her chest; her wound healed instantly. The Horseman's original body was still impaled on the blade and Barbara swung the scythe, driving the blade into a wall and pinning the Horseman's body against it. Barbara then grabbed the Hatter's body and threw it toward the same wall where it slammed into it and landed facedown over the handle of the scythe were it laid still next to the impaled Horseman's body.

-Barbara walked over to the Mad Hatter's head and grabbed it just as it was about to fall into the dark cavern.

-"Where is Freddy?" Barbara demanded holding the demonic face in front of her own.

-The Mad Hatter just smiled at her and said, "So, you've actually broken free from your nightmare. No matter, it's just a matter of time before the you wind up sleeping forever."

-"I am not afraid of you," Barbara angrily and bluntly stated, "Now tell me where Freddy is or so help me I will drop kick you into the pit!" Barbara snapped.

-"Turn around and see for yourself," the Mad Hatter said to her. Barbara turned around where she faced Freddy's screen and saw the profile of Dick Grayson lit up. It didn't take long for Barbara to realize what this meant and she gasped in horror. "No!"

-The Mad Hatter looked over at his body. A large pocket watch dangled from his coat. "Tick Tock! Tick Tock! You best hurry if you want to die alongside your boyfriend."

-Barbara jerked her arm back and hurled the Hatter's head far over the dark chasm. Luckily, as the head was screaming on the way down, the open mouth caught itself on one of the railings that stretched across the various catwalks over the pit. Barbara then leapt onto the Horseman's horse and shouted "HEAH!" causing the beast to sprint out of the large double doors that led to the balcony overlooking the nightmare realm. The horse leapt over the balcony as a bolt of lightening crashed in the sky and it let out a loud "neigh" as it descended into the streets of Arkham City.

In the waking world Dick Grayson sat upright on his bed with a textbook opened over his lap. He had been awake for over six hours now with his head buried in lectures that he had already sat through in class and now he was on his last spark of energy. Dick was surprised at how tired he was, for he had barely slept at all since Barbara's attack. Now, it looked as if all the lost time was starting to catch up to him. Dick did not resist the urge. He rested his back against the wall that his mattress was leaning against and allowed the sweet feeling of slumber to wash over him. Instead, he was flung through a vortex that opened up right behind him as his back was pressed against the wall.

-Dick remained asleep even as he was cast through the void. The journey felt like he was drifting along in a dream. Eventually, the long passage way ended and Dick was cast out through a mirror that hung on a wall inside of a decrepit old room and the impact of his head meeting the hard ceramic floor jolted him awake.

-Dick rolled around on the floor turning his head in every direction in a startled fit. When he calmed down and got a clear picture of his surroundings, Dick was left dumbfounded and confused.

-"How the hell did I get here?" Dick asked himself. At first he thought that he had somehow sleepwalked into another room on campus; but then the possibility that he had been kidnapped quickly popped into his head. Dick looked around the room for something he could use to defend himself if the latter were true. But as he looked, he came face to face with his reflection in the mirror and was dumbstruck by the reflection: he was in his Robin outfit. He even had his utility belt.

-"Batman?" Dick called out, "Batman, are you here?" The only sound that returned was Dick's echo. Then suddenly, Dick heard someone calling him. It sounded like a female voice and it wasn't long before Dick recognized the voice of Barbara Gordon.

-"Barbara? Barbara, is that you?!"

-_"Dick? Dick?"_

-"Barbara, where are you?" Robin called out. As Robin turned his head searching for the direction the voice was coming from he noticed a large door at the far corner of the room that was slightly cracked. Robin slowly approached the door and opened it. Robin found himself standing outside in a spooky, dilapidated alley way as the clouds thundered above him. He had absolutely no idea where he was, but it sure as hell wasn't within Gotham. Even the most deserted part of the city wasn't this ransacked.

-A gust of wind blew past Robin and let out a howl as it pasted down the alley that sounded like a banshee wailing. Suddenly, Robin began to feel a cold shiver starting to rise up his spine.

-"Hey, relax. What could possibly be out here that you couldn't handle?" Robin said to himself trying to sound confident. Robin began to walk down the alley way.

-The alley was like a labyrinth that had no exit. Every twist and turn was shrouded in darkness and the only way Robin was able to navigate through them was by the dim light of the moon that shone down when the clouds moved away from it and by the flashes of lightening that cracked like steel whips overhead. Every time the passageways were illuminated, they displayed masses graffiti covering the walls, cars that had been flipped onto their sides, buildings with large chunks of concrete on the verge of falling from the exterior, and sometimes Robin would catch a glimpse of what looked like zombie children hidden within the shadows that would disappear in the blink of an eye. After a few minutes of wandering, the anxiety within Robin's body began to increase significantly.

-As Robin turned another corner in almost complete darkness, he heard a noise and turned just in time to see a shadow escape onto the rooftop. Robin froze in fear.

-"God dammit, this isn't funny! Whoever you are come out and show yourself!" Then Robin heard another sound. This time it was a child's giggle. Robin turned around just as a flash of lightening broke the clouds and he saw three children skipping rope. "What the…?"

-Robin slowly approached the children as they continued to play. The lighting continued to break seconds after each flash and it gave the appearance that the children were moving in slow motion. The children turned to Robin and he stopped in his tracks. Then suddenly, the children began singing the dreaded nursery rhyme. With each verse that passed, it sounded like hundreds of other children's voices joined in but these children were nowhere in sight, even as the lightening illuminated Robin's surroundings. Then all at once, the three children disappeared and the singing ceased. Robin felt someone tap him on the shoulder.

-He shot is head back, gasping in surprise. Barbara was standing right behind him with a child-like smile on her face. Robin faltered on his words as he tried to speak and before he had a chance to say anything Barbara shouted, "You're it!" before running off down another alley turn.

-Robin tried calling to her but was so dumbstruck by what he was seeing that all he could get out was, "Hey w-…How….?"

-"_Catch me if you can_?!" Barbara called out.

-Robin chased after Barbara but when he turned the corner she was already cartwheeling onto the rooftop while laughing like a little girl. She leaned her head over the edge and glanced at Robin for a second before giving him a winking chuckle and darting off.

-"Barbara wait!" Robin shouted but to no avail. Robin took out his grapple gun from his belt and quickly made his way to the top of the building. Awaiting Robin at the top of the building was a young girl who had her back turned to him. Robin could barely make out who he was looking at because the clouds had once again obscured the light from moon.

-"Barbara?" Robin whispered as he slowly approached the girl standing before him. When he reached the girl he gently placed a hand on her shoulder and she turned around just as a flash of lighting cut across the sky revealing the mangled face of the Bride's Maid.

-Robin screamed in terror as he fell onto his back at the horrid sight. Then the Bride's Maid started sniffing the air. Her inhales became louder and heavier with every whiff she took.

-"OOOOOHH! What is that sweet aroma?" She asked with pleasure. She took another long sniff of the air. "OH YES! The delicious smell of fear!"

-Robin started to back away and the Bride's Maid's eyes shot directly toward him causing him to freeze in his tracks. The Bride's Maid licked the teeth around her severed lips before pouncing on top of Robin and pinning him down. Robin frantically tried to fight the nightmare woman off of him but she held onto him with the persistence of a lion holding onto its kill. Eventually she managed to subdue Robin in a position where he could do nothing but cry out as the Bride's Maid gleefully sniffed up and down his body, pressing her lifeless face into his neck and hair. Robin didn't know if it was an overwhelming sensation of fear or anger that gave him the strength to fight back but he managed break a hand free and strike the monster in the face. The impact caused the Bride's Maid's head to swing off to the side, but then she slowly turned her face back toward her prey and continued feasting off of Robin's fear as if nothing had happened.

-_"That'll do pig. That'll do". _Freddy's voice called out. The Bride's Maid froze and lifted her head, turning it in every direction trying to find where the voice was coming from. Robin saw his opening and struck the Bride's Maid again. This time the blow was to her chest. But as Robin tried to bring his hand back, he felt that it hand gotten stuck in something wet and mushy. It was then that Robin noticed the gaping hole inside the creature's chest that still had walls covered in dark, inky blood. The Bride's Maid still took no notice of the blow she was dealt and didn't look down until she heard the sound of Robin spilling his guts onto the ground beside him.

-Robin yanked harder and his hand slipped out of the Bride's Maid's chest while the Bride's Maid looked on undeterred. The glove on Robin's hand was caked in chunks of viscera from the monster's open cavity and the sight of it caused Robin to vomit again, this time on the Bride's Maid's bloodied clothes. The monster shrieked as the miasmic bile poured onto her and she jolted off of her victim.

-"YOU RUINED MY DRESS!" The Bride's Maid screamed in horror before slapping Robin hard across the face.

-As Robin looked on it both bewilderment and horror, a voice said, "_You sure have a way with women, docha Dick?"_

-Robin darted his head around and saw Freddy standing less than 10 feet away from him. The dream demon had his arms folded as he looked down on Robin with a fiendish grin. Then he slowly started to walk toward the young hero. Robin slowly rose to his feet, keeping his eyes on Freddy the whole time. His eyes scanned the monster as he approached, taking in the burned flesh, the battered hat, the sinister, animal-like teeth that protruded from his smile, and the look of pure evil that shined in his eyes.

-As Robin gazed upon Freddy's odd-looking sweater, his eyes caught sight of a part of the sweater where a chunk of fabric had been ripped from the collar. Then Robin's gazed turned toward the bladed glove as the fingers extended straight out revealing the full size and power of the instrument of death. The sight of the claw caused Robin to freeze in both fear and shock, the dots had connected in his head: the four stab wounds, the piece of fabric Barbara was clutching, the children singing that song…Robin's look of fear shifted to anger.

-Freddy stopped just a few steps from Robin. After a moment of silence Freddy said with a smirk, "Penny for your thoughts chief?"

-"It was you," Robin bared his teeth and shot his index finger at Freddy as if he were trying to inject his rage into him, "IT WAS _YOU! _You're the one who attacked Barbara!"

-Freddy only chuckled at the young hero and replied, "Well, Super-boy, if it's any consolation…she didn't _scream _as much as you did."

-Robin growled at Freddy and took a hard swing at his head but Freddy dodged it effortlessly. Robin swung at Freddy again, and again, and again but Freddy's agility was too fast for him to land a successful blow.

-"I'd say you fight like a girl," Freddy said, "But nearly every girl that's fought me in the past few days had me on the ground by now…even Barbara." With a burst of fury, Robin plowed the bottom of his boot into Freddy's face and knocked him down. Then he took out his metal fighting staff and pinned it against Freddy's chest while his foot pushed down on his stomach.

-"Why?! Tell me why you did it!" Robin demanded pressing his stick and his boot harder down on Freddy's body.

-Freddy just looked up and smiled before replying, "Well, I guess just like every other maniac in this town of yours'…" Freddy disappeared and then reappeared behind Robin who abruptly spun around and looked upon Freddy, amazed by his power, "…I just got a lot of issues!" Freddy then struck Robin up the side of the head with the back of his gloved hand before kicking him in the balls. As Robin fell to his knees clutching his mid-section in agony, Freddy grabbed Robin by his hair and lifted him off the ground. "But you ain't one of them."

-After enjoying the sight of Robin struggling within his grasp for a few seconds, Freddy spoke, "Ya know, you could save yourself a lot of trouble if you just answer me this one question. I may even be obliged to set your girlfriend free." Robin stopped struggling and froze in surprise.

-"What?" He asked in disbelief. Freddy spun Robin toward him and smiled widely at him.

-"That's right kid, just answer me this one simple question and little Barbie Girl get's to wake up."

-Robin tried to respond but had a hard time doing so because every time he opened his mouth the only sound that escaped was the anguish from the pain a top his scalp. But Freddy could tell by Robin's eyes that he was willing to hear the question.

-Freddy threw Robin to the ground and leaned his face right into Robin's and asked, "Tell me who Batman really is."

-Robin was silent for a moment, hesitant to respond. "Who…who are you?"

-Freddy raised his glove and the blades let out a metallic "_shink". _"I'm something you're not kid: I am eternal. Now answer the question."

-Robin was at a loss. He remained silent as he contemplated what to do. _So if I give up Batman's identify, this…thing will let Barbara go. But what if he doesn't? Would Barbara want me to give up his secret for her? What will he do to Batman once he knows who he really is?_

-"Tick Tock! Tick Tock!" Freddy said sweeping his index blade back and fourth like a clock pendulum; "You best give me an answer soon. The longer you wait, the longer your little friend has to suffer."

-That statement almost tore the answer from Robin's mouth but he caught himself at the last second. As much as it pained him to think of what horrors Barbara may be enduring, there was way too much at stake for him to trust the word of this sadistic maniac. Robin decided he would take this freak out and rescue Barbara himself.

-"No," Robin said looking Freddy straight in the eyes.

-Freddy bared his teeth in anger and grabbed Robin by the collar of his suite. "Come again?!"

-"I won't do it!" Robin screamed with rage. He then kneed Freddy in the stomach, causing him to lose his grip on him. Then Robin delivered a powerful upper-kick to Freddy's chin that sent him staggering back. Robin charged at him and landed two successful punches to Freddy's face before finishing up with a head butt that sent Freddy to the ground. Robin then grabbed his fighting staff that lay beside him and ran at Freddy as he still lay on the ground. Freddy looked up and saw the attack coming and back flipped into the air and out of the way before the blow was dealt.

-"Tell me where she is! Now!" Robin demanded.

-Freddy smiled. "And what? Spoil the fun we're having?"

-"So help me God, I will-"

-"You'll what? _Burn me alive?_" Freddy said mimicking Dick's words from Chapter 9. When Freddy spat the words "burn me alive", his body became spontaneously engulfed in roaring flames. Robin backed away in terror, dropping his fighting staff. Freddy started walking towards him, still covered in fire. "Hate to break it to ya kid, but someone beat you to the chase…on more than one occasion. And every time, I just keep on rising from the ashes like a phoenix."

-As Robin continued to back away he soon found himself teetering on the edge of the building. He looked down and, much to his shock, the building was now twice as high off the ground as it was before. A rush of fear overcame Robin and he screamed as he tried to keep himself from falling over the edge. When he turned back around, Freddy's left hand wrapped around his throat and dangled him over the edge. The hand itself was not burning but the arm attached to it was and Robin watched helplessly as the hellfire on the creature's body danced in front of his eye. Robin could feel the heat from the fire as it seared the body of its host. Then, something appeared out of the corner of Robin's eye.

-Robin's eyes shifted from Freddy and he was face to face with the Bride's Maid. Freddy noticed his morbid creation standing beside him with her attention focused on Robin and he brought his arm in a little closer, knowing that the female monster had been drawn by the new scent of fear that radiated off of the Boy Wonder. As the mutilated zombie face drew closer to Robin and sniffed him like a hungry wild animal, the fear within him escalated, enticing the Bride's Maid to keep sniffing him with even more ardor. Then, as her face came within less than two inches of his own, the Bride's Maid's blood-soaked tongue crawled out of her mouth and slowly slithered up Robin's neck, over his cheek just centimeters away from his eye, and off the top of his forehead. The monster slowly backed away and stared at Robin for a moment before going into a spitting fit of disgust.

-"BLAH! YUCKER-OONIE!"

-Freddy chuckled at his minion, "Never judge meat by its smell little one. Sometimes it's good for butchering but not eating."

-She stared back at Robin with her black, sightless eyes as the flames on Freddy's body cast a demonic glow onto her own body.

-"Say goodbye, sweetie," Freddy said to the Bride's Maid.

-"Ba-BYEEE!" The Bride's Maid responded in a sing-song tone while waving farewell to Robin.

-"Alright Bird-Boy," Freddy snatched the grapple gun away from Robin's belt and the flames on his body engulfed it, reducing it to a molten puddle beside Freddy's feet. "Let's see if you can fly!"

-Just as Robin started to scream, Freddy's hand let go of his throat and he was sent plummeting into the dark abyss of the alley below. Robin's screams echoed through the alley as he descended to what would become his last moment of life. Robin had about 15 seconds before he landed and as he saw the ground drawing nearer, thoughts of his parents played through his mind. Now he knew the terror they must have felt nine years ago as they plunged to their deaths as he was forced to watch helplessly. In the back of Robin's mind, a clock seemed to tick away every second as his life drew to a close. When Robin was just five seconds from colliding with the solid concrete, he closed his eyes, half expecting to wake up in his own bed and half expecting to be reunited with his parents.

-Then suddenly, Robin was seized by a force that seemed to drag him off his collision path with death and sent him veering off to the side before his body came to a halt. Robin opened his, eyes moaning in confusion; his vision blurred from the shock of his near death experience. When his sight returned, he saw that he was being held in the arms of a tall woman with her face concealed by a mask. At first he thought it was Barbara, but when he was able to fully focus he could see the woman's cat-like appearance.

-"Catwoman?" Robin asked surprised. The feline woman smiled at him.

-"Guess it's actually _lucky _for you that I crossed your path," she said before dropping Robin onto his behind.


	23. Chapter 21: Rematch

_Nightmare in Arkham_

Chapter 21: "Rematch"

-"You mind telling me where we are?" Catwoman asked Robin as he rose to his feet.

-Robin looked up at the top of the building he was dropped from and saw Freddy looking down on him. Robin took a step back, his eyes and mouth agape with fear. Catwoman noticed this and raised a confused eyebrow.

-"We have to run, now!"

-"Whoa, hold on, run from-" before Catwoman could finish, she heard a loud thud behind her and she turned just as Freddy straightened his legs.

-Freddy chuckled with delight, "Well, well…" he said extending his claws, "Look what the cat dragged in."

-"You!" Catwoman grabbed her whip but was then startled by the sight of something falling from the sky and landing beside Freddy with a loud thud.

-When the figure started to move, Catwoman gasped having realized it was a person who had fallen from the rooftop. As she looked on, the Bridesmaid rose to her feet beside Freddy. Catwoman's eyes widened with horror as she stared at the monstrosity.

-The Bridesmaid looked around unfazed. "Um, boss, did I just fly?"

-Freddy turned his head to her and replied with a grin, "More or less."

-In one quick motion Catwoman flicked all 10 of her claws out and prepared to strike. "This time I'm going to make sure I send you straight back to Hell." She spat angrily. Then she lunged at Freddy and took a violent swipe at him but Freddy was able to gracefully dodge the blow as Catwoman flew past him, landing on her hands and feet.

-Freddy only laughed. "I wouldn't count on it, Pussycat," then he flicked out his own blades, "Last time I went to Hell, it spat me right back up. Said I was just 'too frightening'."

-Catwoman was facing away from Freddy and she managed to catch him by surprise when she spun around and lashed her whip at him. The cord wrapped around his gloved arm and she pulled him forward with a mighty tug. Freddy went flying toward Catwoman, who violently kneed him in the chest before knocking him to the ground with powerful swipe from her cat-claws.

-Freddy then bended his knees and back flipped into the air where he landed directly behind Catwoman. Then he thrust his claw at her aiming for the back of her ribcage.

-Just as quickly, Catwoman spun around and caught Freddy's hand, her fingers wedged between the webbings of his gloved hand. With all of her might, Catwoman raised Freddy's gloved hand as high in the air as it would extend and then violently jerked in down with so much speed and strength that Freddy's arm was dislocated from the shoulder with a loud "_pop". _Freddy screamed in agony.

-"Boss?" The Bridesmaid called out hearing Freddy's agonized screams. She blindly ran in the direction of the screams to her master's aide but was halted when a pair of bolas wrapped around her legs, causing her to trip. Robin rushed past her.

-Catwoman was getting ready to strike Freddy again when Robin sprung on him and pinned him against a wall. He then started striking Freddy in the stomach with his fists over and over again. "Where is she?! Where is she?!" He then bashed his fist into Freddy's crotch and held it in place. Freddy weakly lifted his head up but said nothing. "Talk!" Robin demanded strengthening his hold on Freddy's tender area (**Don't take that the wrong way).**

-Freddy smiled at Robin and said, "Sorry, your princess is in another castle."

-Robin growled in frustration. Then he felt a hand on his shoulder. "Kid, take five. Let me handle this," Catwoman said casually. Robin stared at her with his teeth bared but then he loosened up and stepped aside.

-"This outta be fun," Freddy said enthusiastically.

-"Oh, you have no idea…" Catwoman said back. She then buried her fingers in Freddy's ribcage causing him to groan in pain. Freddy opened his eyes and he was starring at Catwoman's open cleavage.

-"See something you like?" She asked.

-Freddy chuckled and nodded, "Yes: I see fresh meat."

-"Well _I _don't," Catwoman said irritably as she sunk her claws deeper inside of Freddy's flesh. "I don't like seeing people who pick on children, I don't like seeing pathetic losers attack the ones who can't defend themselves, and I especially don't like seeing corny, unoriginal nut-jobs going around pretending they're such a big shot when they're really just sad little misfits who don't know the first thing about what it takes to be a creature of the night."

-"Look who's talkin," Freddy sneered.

-Catwoman removed one of her hands and placed it over the top half of Freddy's face, the bottom of her palm resting just above Freddy's mouth. Catwoman anchored her claws into the sides of Freddy's face and the top of his forehead.

-"Decisions, decisions," Catwoman said allowed, "Maybe, I should rip off your entire face. But then, that might actually _improve _your look," Catwoman raked two of her fingers that rested on Freddy's forehead until they rested just above his eyes, "So maybe I'll claw your eyes out. No, I want you to see me tear into you."

-"Hey, be careful," Robin said, "That thing-"

-"Cool it Rubin!" Catwoman responded.

-"It's 'Robin'," he said irritably under his breath

-Freddy chuckled, "You should listen to him." Then he ran the tip of his tongue along Catwoman's wrist. She grabbed his tongue and the spikes pierced through it.

-"You use that mouth of yours' _way _to much. So unless you tell us where his friend is, it won't be so tragic if you lose this," Catwoman said yanking Freddy's tongue father out of his mouth.

-"What's wrong…cat go your-" Freddy bit down on his tongue and severed it, taking Catwoman by surprise. She gasped as she looked at the bloody, severed muscle that clung to her fingertips. She shook her hand violently and the tongue flew off her claw and landed straight on the ground beside her feet with a _"splat"._ Catwoman looked back up at Freddy, who stuck his fully restored tongue out and licked his lips as he smiled menacingly. Catwoman looked back on the ground and saw that the tongue hand turned into a giant, dirty rat. The rat scurried up Catwoman's leg and she screamed in shock as she violently thrashed her leg trying to shake the rodent. The rat flew from Catwoman's leg and landed right in front of the Bridesmaid's face. When it turned and gazed at her, it shrieked and scurried away.

-Catwoman turned back to Freddy, still puzzled by what she had just seen.

-"Tell ya what, missy," Freddy said, "I'll tell you where to find Barbara if…you take off your mask."

-Catwoman raised an eyebrow.

-"Seems fair enough, don't ya think? You share your secret, I'll share mine."

-"Don't do it!" Robin protested, "It's a trick!"

-Freddy laughed amusingly. "Oh silly boy, tricks are for kids…" then he turned his attention back to Catwoman,"you're not a _kid, _are ya?"

-Catwoman slowly walked toward Freddy. When she reached him, she knelt down beside him and slowly raised her hands to her face like she was getting ready to remove her mask. When her fingers were just about to touch the black-leather hood that concealed Catwoman's face, she abruptly shot her hands away from her head and slammed her fingernails into Freddy's chest causing him to scream in agony. Then she delivered a powerful swipe to the side of Freddy's face that broke his jaw and sent him to the ground.

-Catwoman rose to her feet casually and said, "No, I'm not a kid. I don't fall for childish lies."

-Freddy tried to crawl away but Catwoman stomped down on his left hand. "I don't know who you, I don't know _what _you are, but I swear to God: if we don't find Barbara alive, I will put you _under _the asylum myself."

-Catwoman heard Freddy chuckling as he lay facedown on his stomach. Then the laughter started to grow louder. Catwoman leaned down on Freddy and grabbed his head in her right hand, the spikes once again embedding themselves in Freddy's flesh.

-"What the hell is so funny?" Catwoman asked starting to grow agitated.

-"Oh nothing, I was just thinking," Catwoman heard a low "_clinking" _noise and saw that Freddy was feebly moving some of the fingers on his dislocated arm, "After I cut you up into itty-bitty pieces…" Freddy's head rotated 180-degrees and he said in the voice of Harley Quinn, "_you__'__ll__ be __feeding__ hundreds of hungry __cats__!"_

-Catwoman's eyes and mouth shot open in surprise, not only from Freddy twisting his head around, but also because he had just spat a line that Harley had used on her once before and he said it in her voice. Before Catwoman had a chance to react, Freddy raised his gloved hand, the knives "_shinked", _and he slashed Catwoman across her bare chest.

-Catwoman screamed in agony and covered her chest. Then, with his head still rotated, Freddy's body spun around like an alligator's death roll, sending Catwoman to the ground. She rose to her feet and removed her hand from her chest, gazing at the scarlet liquid that now caked her gloves.

-Freddy shot to his feet and stared at Catwoman with an evil grin. He looked down and noticed his minion still lying restrained on the ground. He cut the bolas with his knife and the Bridesmaid rose to her feet beside her master.

-Catwoman focused her attention on the Bridesmaid. Then her long red and black hair, her black and red outfit that left very little to the imagination, and the innocent, child-like voice she heard earlier became all too familiar to the feline female. Catwoman's jaw dropped and shook with terror.

-"Oh my God," Catwoman said covering her mouth in shock, "Harley."

-"Huh?" The Bridesmaid said looking up confused.

-Then, as Robin looked upon the monstrous maiden, he now recognized her as well.

-"Jesus!" Robin said unable to believe what he was seeing, "It _is _her!"

-Catwoman looked upon Freddy in pure anger. "What did you do to her?"

-"I set her free," Freddy responded, "Without Harleen Quinzel's soul to maintain her human side, Harley Quinn is no longer restrained from being what she really is: A terrifying, but clueless, little girl who can't see anything for what it is, who is completely resilient to pain, whose strongest senses are touch, taste, and smell, and no matter how much abuse she takes, she always maintains the cutest of smiles. Isn't that right sweetie?"

-Freddy ran his claws through the Bridesmaid's hair causing her to let out a childlike giggle as she held a hand to her mouth.

-Catwoman was speechless; as she tried to talk the words wouldn't form. When she was finally able to talk she asked, "Why did you kill her?"

-"Me? She killed herself a long time ago!" Freddy retorted. "And what's it matter to you anyway? It's not like you actually cared about her."

-Catwoman froze after hearing Freddy's remark. Then suddenly, Catwoman's words seemed to buzz in her ears like unrelenting mosquitoes, "_You don't belong in the underworld, kid. Get out before you hurt yourself." _Catwoman never thought it would end up like _this. _She squeezed her eyes shut and shook her head, her mind filled with both rage and regret.

-"Wait a second," Robin blurted out having come to a realization; "Scarecrow…Mad Hatter…You-" Freddy lifted his sweater and revealed three faces sticking out of his chest and abdomen. "Oh my God!" Robin said backing away in shock.

-"I guess you could say…I'm a 'collector' of sorts," Freddy explained, "I collect the souls of the living as they sleep. But something interesting I found out here in Gotham is that a lot the freaks that take up the population _live_ as their own reflection. Ya see, a reflection is the embodiment of everything a person keeps within themselves, but it seems most of the ones around here don't have any problems allowing their reflections to run free. However, the soul is what keeps them from winding up like me."

-"You mean pure evil?" Robin asked uneasily.

-"You flatter me. But I was going to say unrestrained, unstoppable. And so now, all of the monsters you and your Big Daddy fight on a regular basis have unknowingly entered into a mutual partnership with me: they hand over their souls, and I unlock their true selves."

-"You psychotic bastard," Robin exclaimed, "Why are you doing this? Is this all some kind of sick game to you? What do you gain from stealing souls?"

-"First of all kid, I don't play games. I _am _the game. And as for the souls…," Freddy turned his head toward Catwoman, who was still focusing her thoughts on Harley, "They allow me to do this!"

-Freddy leaped into the air and cartwheeled in a style exactly like that of Harley Quinn toward Catwoman, who looked up just in time to see Freddy's foot plow into her face sending her staggering back as she struggled to keep her balance. Freddy landed on his feet and met Catwoman's gaze. He then brought his hand up and urged her forward. "Here kitty kitty."

-Catwoman ran full speed at Freddy and tried to strike him but he ducked and she hurtled past him. Catwoman turned and Freddy struck her in the face multiple times with his left hand before back handing her with his gloved hand. Freddy then brought his gloved hand forward ready to slash Catwoman but she moved back. After the blade past her, Catwoman sprung forward, grabbed Freddy, and body slammed him on the ground. She tried to stomp her foot onto Freddy's throat but he quickly shot to his feet and slashed Catwoman across her stomach. The excruciating pain caused Catwoman to lose focus on her opponent, allowing Freddy grab her by the back of her neck. He then whispered in "shhh" into her ear before leaping and twisting around Catwoman's body like Harley would have done, all the while mercilously slashing her all over her body and laughing with delight.

-By the time he was finished, Freddy had struck Catwoman nine times along her stomach, back, arms, legs, shoulders, hips, buttocks, and ribs (not including the first blow to her chest). Catwoman had a total of 44 deep cuts running along her body that oozed blood. Yet, through her agony, she continued to try and fight Freddy, blindly swiping the air with no luck of landing any blows.

-Robin rushed to her aide but was halted by the Bridesmaid as she tackled him to the ground. "Don't you dare hurt my new Puddin!" She screamed at the frightened hero. Robin was helpless as he watched Catwoman's bloody struggle.

-Eventually, Catwoman became exhausted and fell to her knees. As Catwoman bent over, Freddy punched her in the stomach and then grabbed Catwoman's throat in his left hand. When he raised her head, Freddy grazed his knives over Catwoman's face, tracing four more cuts across her cheeks, lips, nose, chin, and forehead. These cuts where not as deep as the ones covering her body but where nonetheless severe.

-Freddy leered at his fallen adversary. He raised his glove and said, "What was that you said before about needing two claws to catch my prey?"

-In response, Catwoman spit in Freddy's face. Freddy just chuckled and licked the saliva off, swallowing it as he stared into Catwoman's eyes.

-"Before you die, let's see what the cat's been hiding in the bag." Freddy said as he grabbed a hold of Catwoman's mask. Suddenly, Freddy was halted by the sound of a horse "neighing".

-He looked up and saw Barbara riding the nightmare horse directly toward him at full speed. He let go of Catwoman and allowed her to fall limply to the ground.

-Freddy stood puzzled. "What the he-" Barbara leapt from the horse and plowed her foot into Freddy's stomach sending him flying several feet back.

-Robin looked up in surprise. "Barbara?" he exclaimed. He broke from the Bridesmaid's hold and ran toward her. When he reached her, he grabbed her shoulders and looked into her eyes. "Is..Is it really you?!" Barbara wrapped her arms around Robin's neck and upper back and kissed him deeply.

-After they broke the kiss, Barbara smiled at Robin; but the happy reunion was suddenly broken when Barbara noticed the injured Catwoman lying beside them. She was still awake and fully conscious but was bleeding profusely.

-"Oh God!" Barbara exclaimed as she dropped to her knees.

\- Catwoman looked at Robin and smiled. "We found your girlfriend."

-"Can you walk?" Barbara asked.

-Catwoman tried to stand but the pain caused her to fall back down, groaning in agony.

-"Jesus!" Barbara whispered as she looked upon Catwoman's scars. Then she turned to Dick. "We have to wake her up, now."

-"What are you talking about?" Dick asked confused.

-"God dammit this is no time for questions, okay?! Just listen to me!"

-Robin was silent.

-"Right now, we're all asleep. We're in some kind of nightmare and the only way out is to wake up. Do you have any adrenaline shots?"

-Robin looked inside of his belt. "Just two."

-A scraping noise caught Robin and Barbara's attention. They turned and saw Freddy walking toward them dragging his claws along the wall.

-Barbara turned to Robin, her expression serious and urgent. "Take her and get out of here."

-"No, I won't leave you alone with that thing!"

-"Do as I say!" Barbara demanded. Then her eyes softened and she kissed Robin on the cheek, "You won't lose me, I promise. Now please, get yourself and Catwoman to safety before it's too late. I'll handle Freddy."

-Catwoman started to chuckle and Barbara turned to her. Catwoman smiled at her and said, "Oh Batgirl, you may be a tiny child but you definitely got the hero's spirit."

-Barbara just looked at Catwoman stunned. "Oh come on, you really thought you were fooling people, letting that red mane stick out?" Barbara rolled her eyes. "Hey kid," Barbara looked back at Catwoman, "please be careful. I have so much fun playing with you and I'd hate for our game to end." Barbara smiled at Catwoman and gave her hand a loving squeeze. Catwoman noticed the worry inside Barbara's eyes. "Don't worry about me. It's not the first time someone's gotten the better of me," then she grimaced in pain, "Although, Batman never was this rough on me."

-Robin gave Barbara a final solemn glance before saying, "Please, stay alive."

-Barbara smiled and nodded. Then Robin plunged the two syringes into Catwoman and himself and they both vanished almost instantly. Barbara turned and was startled to see Freddy standing almost within arm's reach of her. She took a few steps back and then glared at her former captor.

-"How many people have you killed?" She asked angrily.

-"That depends: do you mean since I came to this city, since I was reborn, or just in general?"

-Barbara was dumbfounded. "What the hell kind of monster are you?"

-Freddy raised his glove, "Tell ya what: Why don't I just add you to my collection? That way you'll get to know everything there is to know about me."

-"I thought you were going to kill me last."

-"I lied."

-Freddy growled angrily and lunged for Barbara, swiping his claw with tremendous force but Barbara bent her back the same way she did when she dodged the Horseman's scythe. Then she snapped her body straight again and slammed a fist into Freddy's side, cracking one of his ribs. Freddy staggered with his hand clutching his ribcage when Barbara kicked him in the back of his leg causing him to fall to his knees. Barbara then folded her hands together into one fist and smashed her fist down on the back of Freddy's head. Freddy fell to the ground. When he extended his gloved hand to get back up Barbara stomped her foot down on his gloved hand and pinned Freddy to the ground with her other foot pressed on his back. She then grabbed Freddy's left hand and twisted his arm.

-"How the hell did you escape?!" Freddy demanded.

-"Secret of fear: the smaller it is the smaller you are," Barbara responded with triumph, "I figured out your little game. This little nightmare you've built, it's all just a bunch of mind tricks."

-"You think so, huh?" Freddy responded.

-"I _know _so."

-"Well then, why don't you tell that to _her," _Freddy said motioning Barbara toward the Bridesmaid, who now stood a few feet in front of Barbara.

-"Puddin? Are you hurt?"

-Barbara gasped at the sudden appearance of the monster that had tormented her in her nightmare.

-"Yes! Get this bitch off of me, now!"

-The Bridesmaid leapt on top of Barbara and knocked her off of her "Puddin". Barbara landed on her knees with the Bridesmaid's body causing her own to bend backward. The monsters hands squeezed tightly on her throat.

-"You little slut!" She spat viciously at the young heroine, "_Your _love life wasn't good enough for you! So now you have to go and spoil everyone else's to make them as miserable as you!"

-Strangely enough, Barbara overpowered the monster with little effort. She grabbed a hold of both of the Bridesmaid's arms, rolled onto her back, and sprung herself off the ground casting the monster several feet into the air where she landed inside of an open dumpster. The door closed once the monster hand fallen inside leaving Barbara and Freddy alone to have their rematch.

-Barbara had jumped so high up into the air that she landed on a rooftop giving her a broad view of her surroundings. In all her years she had spent watching Gotham fall apart, she never pictured it winding up this ruined.

-As she stared out at the bright, barren city Freddy sprung out of the ground behind Barbara and took a swing at her. Barbara jumped out of the way and Freddy's claw struck a ventilation pipe causing cold air to pour into the wind. Barbara then kicked Freddy in the stomach and proceeded to repeatedly kick him until he grabbed onto her leg. Barbara twisted the upper half of her body like a dishrag being rung out and when she rotated her body in the opposite direction it caused her leg to slip out of Freddy's grasp.

-Barbara landed in a crouching position and leapt between Freddy's legs, bending her waist at the last second and striking Freddy in the crotch with both of her feet.

-Freddy groaned in pain as he backed up. Barbara rose to her feet. "What happened to your 'secret of pain'? It's doing wonders for me."

-Frustrated, Freddy hurled his claw at Barbara but she managed to catch his arm and she sunk her teeth deep inside of it.

-Freddy screamed. "Why you little bitch!" He grabbed Barbara's hair and lifted her up off the ground. He raised his glove and began to swing it toward Barbara's head but she kicked him in the hip and the claw shifted direction in midair. Instead of tearing into Barbara's skull, the blades went high and cut right through her hair, shortening it to the point where it rested just above the base of her neck.

-Barbara back flipped out of Freddy's reach and stood starring victoriously at her enemy. Freddy stared back with anger but then a smile slowly started to form on his face. His left hand still contained Barbara's severed locks and he brought them to his nose and sniffed them like a bouquet of flowers while Barbara looked on in disgust.

-_You sick, perverted son-of-a-bitch! _She thought to herself.

-Freddy looked up at Barbara with a giant grin plastered on his face. "Missed you by a hair," As Freddy held the locks in his hand they suddenly caught fire and spilled onto the ground in a pile of ash, "I won't make that mistake twice." Then suddenly, a bolt of lightening came down from the sky and struck Freddy causing him to vanish from sight.

-Barbara looked around to see where he had gone, constantly looking over her shoulder in case he decided to attack her while her back was turned again. A second bolt of lightening touched down in the distance and Barbara turned just in time to see that it had struck the top of a large, dark building that looked like a cross between a fortress, a castle, and prison. As Barbara looked at it closer, she realized it had almost the exact same concept design as Arkham Asylum. There was a massive tower that rose to the heaven's like a skyscraper and Barbara soon recognized the building as the one she had awoken in, for she could see the balcony from which she descended hanging a few feet blow the top of the tower.

-Perched on the highest point of his castle, Freddy peered down on his kingdom spotting Barbara less than a mile away. Thunder erupted in the clouds, illuminating Freddy's image to Barbara as she gazed at the nightmare king in the distance.

-Freddy smiled wickedly. "Today's forecast…" he slowly lifted his glove into the air, "…raining blood." Four bolts of lightening cracked simultaneously above Freddy and they snaked their way toward him and attached themselves to the knives on his fingers. Freddy now wielded four, 20-foot long electric whips.

-"DUCK AND COVER BITCH!" With a loud cackle, Freddy extended his index finger toward Barbara and the lightening shot toward her at nearly the speed of light.

-Barbara reacted quickly and bolted, leaping off of the building and onto another as the lightening struck in the very spot she was just standing, causing the entire roof of the building to explode in a loud, shattering flash of light. Rubble, glass, steel, iron, and fire went flying in all directions.

-Freddy extended a second finger and sent another bolt at his prey. Barbara once again eluded the blast but this time, instead of leaping onto another building she made her way to the streets. She knew she would be an easy target on the roofs but on the street she could use the buildings for cover…or so she thought.

-Freddy sent out another lightening bolt but this time it did not strike the ground. It twisted its form until it took on Freddy's shape and flew straight toward Barbara, pursing her through the streets. The electric current moved equally as fast as when it was fired off by Freddy and Barbara had to rely on her quick reflexes and agility rather than her speed to avoid it.

-As Barbara fought to elude the living electricity on the ground, Freddy noticed it was backing Barbara toward a building that sported a massive water containment on top. As Barbara drew closer, Freddy fired a lightening bolt at the containment and it exploded sending a wave of water pouring down toward Barbara that would soon turn her into a walking lightening rod. What Freddy failed to notice was the angled roof cover that extended out over the base of the roof. Barbara leapt under the roof cover as the water rained down. Freddy's living electricity made a quick lunge for Barbara but the water acted as a barrier, trapping the electricity within its liquid bonds and saving Barbara's life.

-"Oh give me a break," Freddy muttered in annoyance. But then he saw his opening.

-While Barbara stood under the overhanging roof contemplating her next move, the building was struck and it collapsed, trapping Barbara within the debris.

-A thick sheet of rubble covered Barbara's entire right leg preventing her from moving. She strained herself trying to lift her prison off her but it was too heavy. And then she froze. Freddy was slowly walking through the debris making his way toward her. Now, without any place to run or any means to fight back, Barbara felt vulnerable. She was scared.

-Freddy approached from Barbara's left side, stepping over a patch of fire that still burned in the debris. He kept an evil smile on Barbara at all times as he circled to her right side where she was completely unable to defend herself. He stopped right beside her, stepping on her hand to make sure she was totally helpless. When he did this, Barbara suddenly felt something else, besides fear, start to return to her: pain.

-"I guess lightening _can _strike twice in the same place. It certainly struck _you _more than once." Freddy said as he looked upon Barbara as she lay in the same position from when she faced Freddy the first time. Barbara was furious and she began to struggle against her bonds trying to shake herself loose.

-Freddy extended the fingers on is glove and raised it in the air. "Don't worry Barbara, you'll see your boyfriend again. In fact, before long you two will spend an eternity together." Freddy gave Barbara one last smile before he started to bring his blades down upon her.

-Barbara's struggling became more frantic and, in her rush, she inadvertently placed her foot inside of the fire patch. Barbara released a loud, agonized scream as the flames danced around her foot. And then a white flash appeared before her eyes just as Freddy's knives were about make their impact.

-Barbara screamed as her body became drenched with sweat. She knew she was dead. She frantically turned in every direction. She could hear a heavy beeping noise close by, her abdomen felt like it was being constricted, and her arms felt like they were being poked by something. However, she could not feel anything from her waist down and when she tried to move her legs would not respond.

-She grabbed at her chest expecting to find four gaping holes inside of her heart; she felt nothing. She looked down at her chest and saw that it was completely unharmed.

-Barbara's breathing began to calm and so did the beeping noise. Barbara slowly turned her head and saw the heart monitor that lay beside her. It was then that she realized she was in a hospital bed. She lifted her covers and saw the brace that was wrapped around her torso and the wires that were tapped onto her arms and in her nasal cavities.

-_I'm alive. _Barbara's head was spinning. So many emotions were playing all at once. She was glad to not be dead, sad that it seemed she really was paralyzed after all, and frightened by the nightmare she had endured for so long. But what really scared her was not knowing whether or not this was just another part of her nightmare. This may have been Freddy's last attempt to torture her before he finished her. Part of her mind was preparing for him to emerge out of the darkness and rip her to pieces. Then another unpleasant thought occurred to her: what if he _never _intended to kill her? What if he planned to keep on torturing her with one nightmare after another.

-Then, a light flickered on inside of Barbara's room. She gasped and shot her head toward her door. Standing in the doorway with a ceramic coffee cup in hand, signs of neglected sleep for over a week in his eyes, and a look of pure, dumbfounded shock on his face, was Barbara's father.

-Barbara's mouth hung open and her eyes began to widen. She slowly lifted her head off of her mattress, which sat at a 45-degree incline. "Daddy?"

-Gordon dropped the coffee cup and it shattered on the floor beside his feet as the brown beverage expanded into a tiny puddle. Tears started to build in Jim's eyes and his lips began trembling.

-This was _real._ Barbara's eyes began to well up, her lips began to tremble, and a huge smile cracked over her face.

-Jim darted from the doorway and wrapped his arms tightly around his daughter. "OH MY BABY GIRL!" He shouted with tears pouring from his eyes.

-"I missed you daddy!" Barbara exclaimed as she sobbed on her father's shoulder.

-"I MISSED YOU TOO BABY!" Jim started kissing Barbara all over her face and head. "But it's over now. The nightmare's over."

-Barbara didn't know how much of that statement was true, but what she did know as she felt her father's loving embrace was _her _nightmare was over.

_LATER THAT NIGHT..._

-Alfred strolled into his employer's office and found Bruce Wayne standing with his hand trembling as he held the phone to his ear. His mouth hung open and his eyes were wide and he seemed to be on the verge of tears. The phone fell from his hand.

-"Master Bruce? What on Earth is it?" Alfred asked concerned.

-Bruce slowly turned to Alfred and replied, "Selina…"


	24. Chapter 22: Belly of the Beast

_Nightmare in Arkham_

Chapter 22: "Belly of the Beast"

-The man walked down the streets of "Crime Alley" like a zombie. His clothes were soaked and ripped to the point where they had become unrecognizable. His black hair was shaggy and unkempt. On one side of his head was a massive, bloody contusion and he also had a series of smaller bruises covering other parts of his head and body that looked like they had come from a blunt instrument. The man groaned as he shuffled down the street toward the lights of the city. He was completely unaware of the vehicle speeding toward him, even as it blared its sirens.

-The ambulance driver did not see the man until he was less than 10 feet in front of him and by then it was too late. The driver made a sharp turn with the steering wheel and the vehicle struck the man with the left side of the fender causing the man's body to smash into the windshield. As the man's corpse flew through the air and landed in the street the ambulance sped out of control, turned on its side, and slid down the street until it collided with a concrete fence.

-Dr. Thompkins rushed out of her home and stopped in the street, gazing dumbfounded at the scene. She was about to turn around and run back to her home to call for assistance but was halted when she heard the doors to the ambulance open up behind her. Dr. Thompkins turned and saw someone slowly crawl out of the open doors. The person slowly rose to their feet and starred at Dr. Thompkins.

-The doctor's eyes widened in horror. The person was a woman with a body riddled in scars and as Dr. Thompkins looked into the woman's face that bore what appeared to be four claw marks, she immediately recognized the woman as Selina Kyle.

-"Mother of God!" Dr. Thompkins said under her breath.

_MEANWHILE…_

-Alice sat alone in her office with her arm still wrapped in a cast. She had not been sleeping well the past few days. Not even the _Hypnocil _had been helping her. She looked in a mirror that she had placed on her desk and saw she was carrying luggage under her eyes.

-"Christ," Alice said annoyed, "I look like an old woman." She placed the palms of her hands on her forehead, closed her eyes, and gave a long sigh.

-When Alice opened her eyes again, they slowly wandered to a small, framed picture that she had sitting beside the mirror. In the picture, Alice was in her High school graduation gown. Standing next to her was a tall, athletic-looking young man with brown eyes and light brown hair. He was also dressed in his graduation gown and he had an arm wrapped around Alice's shoulder as she gave a wide smile to the camera. As Alice starred at the picture nostalgically, she slowly started to smile. But, at the same time, a tear fell from her eye.

-There was a knock on Alice's door. She gave a small startled gasp before drying her eye. "Come in."

-The door opened and Dr. Leland slowly entered holding a pizza box. "Hey hun, I just picked up some dinner, in case you were hungry."

-"Oh God, that sounds fantastic," Alice said.

-Dr. Leland walked over to Alice's desk, took a chair, and pulled it up beside her. The two doctors ate in silence for few moments.

-"Thank you for this Joan; this is just what I needed."

-Dr. Leland gave a faint chuckle, "Yeah, you and me both." She looked at Alice's cast. "How's your arm doing?"

-"It's getting better. Turns out it wasn't completely broken in half, just severely fractured. They said it was gonna be a while before I could use it again though."

-"I'm really sorry, Alice."

-"What for?"

-"Everything that's happened these past few weeks: Jervis, Harley, your injury. Nobody should have to go through so much hardship in so little amount of time."

-"Oh, don't be sorry. Bad days don't work off a fixed schedule. And there's plenty of people who go through much worse in even shorter periods. Believe me, I've seen it happen."

-Dr. Leland nodded, "Yeah, I guess you're right." When Dr. Leland turned her head, she noticed, for the first time, the picture on Alice's desk.

-"Is that you, Alice?"

-Alice looked at the picture. "Yep, that's me and my fiancée at graduation, class of 88."

-"Your fiancée? Dang, you got lucky. He is _fine," _Dr. Leland said with a smile, "How long have you two been married?"

-"We…we never had the chance. He died less than a year after that picture was taken."

-Dr. Leland's smile faded, "Oh…I'm sorry I…what happened to him?"

-"Car crash."

-"I'm sorry Alice," Dr. Leland's eyes turned toward the picture, "he looks like he was a good man."

-"Yes he was. He was the one who got me through High school after my brother died."

-"What was your fiancée's name?"

-"Dan," Alice responded. There was a silence and then Alice felt her eyes start to moisten. She raised her hand and wiped them with the tip of one of her fingers. Dr. Leland noticed this and put an arm around Alice's shoulders gently giving her arm a tender rub.

-"You wanna step outside? Have a cigarette?" She asked comfortingly.

-Alice smiled, "No thank you. I'm actually trying to quit. Those thing'll kill ya."

-Dr. Leland snickered, "Did Harley say that to you?"

-Alice smiled, "Yeah."

-"She'd tell me that every time she saw me with one in my hand."

-"She was a good kid," Alice said.

-"No doubt about that," Dr. Leland responded.

-Dr. Leland reached a hand into the pizza box but felt nothing. She and Alice both looked at the box and were surprised to find it empty.

-"Holly crap!" Alice said surprised, "Did…Did I really eat that entire thing?"

-Dr. Leland laughed, "Not the whole thing, I'm pretty sure I had two slices."

-"Christ! I'm sorry Joan I-"

-"No worries Alice. I'm just glad to see you're feeling better now."

-"I swear, I'll buy you lunch tomorrow."

-"Alice, it's fine, really. I wasn't even that hungry anyway. Besides, you looked like you needed it more than I did."

-Alice smiled, "Yeah, I guess since I haven't really thought about food I sort of came down with the belly of the beast."

-Dr. Leland stood up, stretched, and took the empty pizza box off the desk. "You sure about that cigarette?" She asked.

-"Yes, thank you Joan."

-Dr. Leland started to walk out of the office but she stopped at the door and turned back to Alice.

-"I'm glad you came here, Alice. You've been here less than a month and yet you've had more progress with the patients than anyone else had in a year, especially with Harley. I wish you could have gotten more time with her but in the time you did have, you changed her in ways I thought I would never see. You are the strongest woman I have ever met and I know Dan would have been proud to have you as his wife."

-Alice's lips curved into a wide smile, "Thanks Joan."

-"If you ever need anything, you know who to talk to. Keep up the good work." And with that, Dr. Leland closed Alice's door.

_MEANWHILE…_

_-_Just as the Mad Hatter finally got his head back on his shoulders, the double doors flew open and sent the Hatter flying across the room. His head popped off as he landed.

-"What the hell happened?!" Freddy angrily demanded as he entered his control room.

-"N-Now boss, we can explain…" The Headless Horseman stammered nervously.

-"Don't bother!" Freddy irritably spat knocking the Horseman aside, "I give you imbeciles one job, _one job, _and you let a wounded child escape! Christ! My newest recruit actually did a better job than you morons. At least she actually instilled fear in her prey."

-The Mad Hatter's body had found its head and was in the process of reattaching it a second time when he asked, "Say, where is the Bridesmaid anyway?"

-Freddy stopped and looked around as if realizing for the first time that his female minion was absent.

-"I don't know," Freddy answered indifferently, "She's around here somewhere."

-He turned back to his minions. "But let's not get off track; you two morons have a price to pay," Freddy said extending his blades.

-The Horseman and the Hatter both backed away in fear.

-"Now wait, let's talk about this. We-We could make it up to you," The Horseman said nervously. Freddy kept coming.

-"Yes! We can deliver you the next victim. We can prove to you we mean business."

-Freddy laughed as his two creations backed up against a wall cowering in fear. "You think I'd trust you with securing a kill? You couldn't even handle someone who was already half dead. What the hell makes you think-" Freddy was interrupted by the sound of a beeping noise. He turned to his screen and stared at it for a few moments then turned back to his minions, a wicked smile plastered on his face.

-"Okay, you two want a chance at tackling some big game? You got it. This should be fun to watch."

-The two monsters sighed in relief. "Oh thank you! Thank you!" The Mad Hatter exclaimed happily. "So, who's the sorry chap whose about to have their beauty sleep interrupted?" He asked with confidence.

-Freddy pointed his index blade toward the screen. The two monsters looked at the screen to see their challenge: Killer Croc.

-The Mad Hatter's look of confidence faded in his wide eyes of horror.

-"Oh bollocks," he said regretting his decision.

Killer Croc opened his eyes groaning as he lifted his heavily muscled body off the ground. A drop of water came down on his head.

-"Hey, what the-"

-When his vision fully adjusted, he saw that he was inside what appeared to be a sewer system.

-"How'd I wind up here?" he asked himself aloud.

-Killer Croc rose to his feet and began walking through the tunnels. The tunnels were lit by a series of dim lights that hung from the walls and ceiling that cast an eerie green color on the surroundings. Croc was not afraid, for he was used to this kind of environment; but the fact that he still didn't know how he wound up here gave him a feeling of uneasiness.

-For a long time, the only noises that could be heard came from the drops of water as they fell from the roof of the tunnels and the sound of Killer Croc's feet as they splashed in the trail of water that flowed along the ground. But then Croc began to hear something else.

-In the distance, Croc began to hear a child's voice. He froze in his tracks and listened. Croc couldn't quite make out what the voice was saying but it sounded like it was telling him to "turn back".

-Croc began to sniff the air in an attempt to pick up the scent of whoever was calling out but was surprised to find that he could not pick up any scent. This caused him to right off the mysterious noise as a trick of the wind. He stopped momentarily, waiting for the noise to cease. When it did, he continued onward.

-For as long as he had resided in Gotham, Killer Croc thought he knew the sewer system inside and out. But now, each twist and turn brought him to a location that looked almost exactly like the last. This began to annoy the reptilian man and he decided to make his own route. He turned toward a tunnel that was closed off by a set of steel bars and easily bent them apart with his bare hands. But as he proceeded down his new tunnel, he was both stunned and annoyed to find himself back in the exact same spot he had just come from. The tunnel he had just gone through was right beside him with the bars still pried apart.

-Killer Croc gave and annoyed growl before running at full speed down the sewer system randomly aiming for any tunnel that would lead him out of this continuous maze of annoyance. After making another turn, Croc stopped in his tracks and starred in bewilderment at what stood in front of him.

-Right on the edge of a tunnel that ended in a drop hanging above a vat of deep sewer water were five children (the same children that appeared to Harley in her dream). The children stared blankly at Croc until Kristen spoke: "Go back."

-Croc was dumbfounded.

-"Get out of here while you still can."

-"W-What are you doing down here?" Killer Croc asked.

-"We came to warn you," one of the boys, "He's coming for you."

-"Who? What is all this? How…How did I even get down here? Who are you?"

-"There's no time to explain," Kristen said, "Now leave before it's too late!"

-"And how exactly am I supposed to do that? This place is a freaking maze!"

-Just then, Killer Croc felt the ground begin to shake beneath him. Croc staggered as he fought to keep his balance but the children stood perfectly still. Then a loud flushing noise sounded in the distance and a massive flash flood came rushing toward him. Before Killer Croc had a chance to respond, he was engulfed by the flooding water and swept away. The water sent Killer Croc out of the tunnel and plunging into the pool of sewer water below. Croc smacked down the water's surface and was sent spiraling like a rag down through the abyss. When he opened his eyes he saw that the water was red, as if he were swimming in a giant pool of blood. Then Croc remembered the children.

-He darted his head in all direction searching for the kids knowing they had well under two minutes before they drowned if they weren't dead already. He swam to toward the bottom furiously but the pool seemed to have no end. Croc started to lose the light from above and had no choice but to move back toward the surface. He looked down and that's when he saw the giant maw racing for him.

-Croc instinctively made a quick dash out of way, narrowly avoiding the crushing jaws of a 20-foot alligator. Killer Croc watched as the tremendous reptile straightened itself in the water used its whipping tail to propel itself in a tight turn as it prepared for second pass.

-This time Killer Croc was ready for it. He was not afraid, for he had wrestled gators for a living. The alligator began making its way toward its quarry, gaining speed as it drew nearer. However, just as the gator was about rocket itself toward Killer Croc, he was struck from the side by a second gator.

-Killer Croc was sent horizontally into the gator's jaws. However, Killer Croc's massive bulk, coupled with his thick hide, protected him as he was hit with a bite force of over 2000 PSI. He grabbed onto the gator's upper and lower jaws and pried them open. This caused the gator to become disoriented and it tried desperately to shake itself lose from Killer Croc's grasp but Killer Croc retained his grip.

-Finally, the gator went into a death roll (the moment Killer Croc was waiting for). As the gator spun wildly to shake itself free, Killer Croc released the reptile's jaws and, before it had a chance to stop rolling, he slammed both of his fists down on the gator like a sledgehammer. The blow struck the reptile directly on the spine, snapping it in half. The crippled gator stopped moving, save for the agonized twitching brought on by the involuntary spasm of its muscles, and it slowly began to sink to the bottom. Croc began to swim to the surface to gather air in his lungs but he had forgotten about the first gator.

-The massive carnivore appeared above him, a black cloud of death hovering in the blood-red sky. The gator shifted its body downward and began to dive straight toward Killer Croc. Killer Croc was undeterred and as the gator increased its speed so did he and the two reptiles charged each other on a collision course from which only one would emerge the supreme crocodilian.

-After a long moment, the gator erupted from the surface of the water trapped within a pair of thickly muscled arms. Then Killer Croc burst from the water letting out a victorious roar as he held the gator above his head like trophy before wrapping one of his arms around the struggling gator's throat and snapping it's neck. Killer Croc then body slammed the dead gator back into the water with a mighty slash and sent it plunging to its watery grave.

-Croc then began to take in large breaths of air. Normally he could hold his breath from 15-20 minutes but the underwater brawl had drained a large supply of his oxygen and he felt a little fatigued. But before he could fully catch his breath, the water began to spiral into a whirlpool and, despite Killer Croc's efforts to fight the strong current, he was sucked underwater yet again.

-Killer Croc made a dash to the surface but was horrified to find that the surface was gone, replaced by roof of solid concrete. Croc tried to beat his way through but it was to no avail. He began to panic, not knowing how much longer he would be able to hold his breath. But then he saw his opportunity.

-On one of the walls there was now an underwater tunnel. Croc swam as fast he could toward the tunnel hoping to God it would not deliver the same results as the maze he had just gone through. He swam with all of his might, accepting that this would be an all or nothing attempt.

-As Killer Croc drew closer to the opening, he was sucked inside of through some kind of vacuuming force that quickly shot him through a long tunnel and out of a drainage pipe where he landed on a dry metal catwalk that hung over a canal system housing putrid green water.

-Killer Croc coughed up water that he had swallowed and slowly rose to his feet.

-"God, I never thought I would be so happy to be out of the water," he said to himself. He then continued to walk forward.

-After he had walked for short amount of time, he saw something fly across the ceiling and disappear into an aqueduct. Killer Croc froze and stared at the aqueduct waiting for the figure to emerge. While he was distracted, the Headless Horseman attacked from behind.

-He hurled his scythe at the reptilian man and Killer Croc just barely managed dodge the blow. However as he moved out of the way of the oncoming blade, he found himself teetering on the edge of the catwalk about to fall into the water. Killer Croc fought to keep his balance, for he did not trust the water system in this environment and he did not want to take a chance at becoming its ragdoll again. But he inevitably failed.

-The Headless Horseman rushed him, this time from the front, and kicked the reptile in the stomach (his primary weak spot) and he was sent plummeting into the dirty canal with a big splash. Croc surfaced spitting out water that had seeped into his mouth. He opened his eyes and gazed upon the Headless Horseman.

-Killer Croc was started to see the headless creature that now stood before him.

-"What in the hell-" was all he had time to say before he felt the water around him begin to move violently. Croc looked up just in time to see the Horseman give him a farewell solute before he was carried away in a violent stream of rapids.

-Croc's body was violently slammed into the concrete walls of the tunnel system as he was once again tossed around like car that had lost control on an icy road, completely at the mercy of whatever appeared in front of him.

-Eventually, Croc's flailing arms caught onto a metal pipe sticking out of the wall. As he tried to hoist himself up, he felt something knock into his head.

-It was not a hard impact and Croc ignored it the first time. But whatever hit continued to do it rapid successions and Croc irritably looked up to see what it was.

-Seated on a catwalk that was perpendicular to the canal was the Mad Hatter. He was using his pocket watch as a yo-yo, throwing it Croc's head then retracting it back on its chain.

-"One little monkey sitting in a tree, teasing Mr. Crocodile: you can't catch me!" He shouted with amusement. He threw his watch at Croc again but this time he caught the watch in his jaws. Killer Croc bit down on the chain and swallowed the watch whole then grabbed a hold of the chain with one hand.

-"Along comes Mr. Crocodile, STEALTHY AS CAN BE!" Croc spat back as he gave the severed chain a violent tug that sent the Mad Hatter plunging into the river where he was washed away screaming in horror.

-When Mad Hatter was out of view, Killer Croc attempted to climb out of the water. Eventually, he was able to pull his legs out of the rushing current. He then moved one of his arms over to the catwalk and grabbed a hold. He tried to pull himself up but his weight and his exhaustion made this a daunting task. Every time he would try and raise his body, one of his hands would slip and he fall back down clutching the edge for dear life.

-Killer Croc reached for the ledge again but this time, instead of grabbing on the edge, he decided to hurl his arm over the edge and establish a grip further back on the catwalk thinking it would make it easier for him to climb up. Before he could grip the catwalk, Killer Croc felt something grab onto his hand.

-Whatever was holding onto him started to pull Killer Croc effortlessly over the edge and safely onto the catwalk.

-"Gee thanks," He said with gratitude, "For a second there I thought-" Killer Croc was cut off when he saw what had taken a hold of his hand: Freddy's glove.

-The glove stayed levitated in the air as it clung to Croc's wrist while Croc stared at it in confusion.

-Suddenly, the glove let go of Croc's hand and flew backward toward its owner as he stood pressed against a wall on one side of the catwalk.

-When the glove reattached itself to Freddy's hand he slowly took a few steps toward Killer Croc as he stared wide-eyed at the dream stalker.

-"Didn't your mother ever teach you any manners?" Freddy asked Croc, who remained silent. "It ain't nice to stare."

-"HA!" Freddy shouted while extending his chest forward. Killer Croc was sent flying backward by an invisible force that caused him to crash through the concrete wall.

-Outside, Croc landed on the ground, bouncing twice as the rain beat down on his body. When he lifted his head, he saw that he was now in a massive quarry. There was a deep chasm that housed a massive reservoir. He turned around to see Freddy casually walking out of the hole, coming to a stop few feet from him. A flash of lightening shot across the sky casting Freddy's silhouette against it in the pouring rain.

-Killer Croc bared his teeth with rage and shot to his feet, hurling his fist at the nightmare man.

-Freddy leapt into the air, dodging Killer Croc's blow, and landed behind him. Freddy thrust his blades at Croc's back but the tips got stuck in his armored hide.

-Croc turned around and grabbed Freddy's arm as he was attempting to free his glove. Killer Croc lifted Freddy in the air by his right arm and he bit down on Freddy's wrist, tearing the hand clean off.

-Freddy screamed in agony, "No! Not my hand!" He reeled back starring in horror at the bloody stump where his hand used to be.

-With Freddy's severed limb still in his mouth Killer Croc struck Freddy with his forearm and sent sliding across the soaking wet ground. Killer Croc then leapt in front of Freddy and grabbed both of his legs. With a violent jerk, Killer Croc spread Freddy's legs apart and the bones snapped like a pair of tree trunks. Freddy let out an agonized scream.

-Then, as Freddy looked up at his adversary, Killer Croc swallowed Freddy's entire hand whole, knives and all.

-As the hand passed down Croc's gullet, he looked back at Freddy and said with a victorious smile, "I sure hope the rest of you tastes better."

-Croc leaned in with his claws raised and teeth bared ready to tear his broken prey to shreds. But then Killer Croc stopped. His eyes had caught sight of something the made him give a wide, toothy smile: sitting just a few paces beside him was a giant rock (the biggest he had ever seen).

-Killer Croc turned his gaze back onto Freddy and gave a devious laugh, "This is gonna be fun."

-Then he walked over to the massive boulder and, with all of his might, lifted it high above his head. He then walked back over to Freddy and stood in front of him ready to crush the dream demon. But then a loud noise caught Killer Croc's attention. It was a loud ticking noise.

-Killer Croc turned his head in all directions looking for the source of the noise as it grew louder: _Tick-Tock, Tick-Tock, Tick-Tock. _

-When Killer Croc's eyes turned back onto Freddy, he saw the evil grin on his face. Then, much to Croc's surprise, Freddy rose back onto his feet. The Headless Horseman and the Mad Hatter then stepped out from either side of their master's back. While the Horseman's expression was impossible to see since he had no face, the Mad Hatter wore an evil smile just like Freddy's.

-"Your time is up, Crockers." Mad Hatter said deviously as the pocket watch within Croc's stomach began to tick louder and louder.

In the real world, Alice stepped out of her office and began to walk toward the exit of the building. As she passed by the cellblock, she was startled by what sounded like a muffled _BOOM._

In the dream world, the giant rock fell from Killer Croc's arms and landed on the muddy ground beside him.

In the real world Alice walked down the hallway of the cellblock to investigate the noise and was horror stricken when she saw the massive blood smear on the glass door of Killer Croc's cell.

-"Oh God, Help! Someone HELP!" Alice screamed as she ran to Croc's cell and hastily slid her key through the panel. As the door began to open, Dr. Leland came running down the hall accompanied by two guards.

-"What is it Alice? What's wrong?" Dr. Leland asked with urgency. Then she turned to the cell just as the door opened and was horrified by the sight of Killer Croc staggering on his feet moaning in agony. A fountain of blood was pouring from his mouth.

-"OH GOD!" She exclaimed. She turned to the guards, "Both of you get some medics up her stat! Code Blue!" The two guards rushed off to find help while Dr. Leland rushed into the cell in order to help Alice teen to the mortally wounded Killer Croc.

-The two doctors grabbed Killer Croc under both of his arms and tried to lead him out of the cell but, as they moved the patient, something happened before their eyes that caused them to freeze in sheer terror.

-Four invisible cuts slashed their way across Killer Croc's belly and then his stomach burst wide open. All of Killer Croc's internal organs and intestines, which had all been reduced to a soupy mush, spilled out of his belly like water from a drainpipe. When Alice saw the slashes, she felt as if a train had just struck her as the realization of what just happened hit her.

-She said with complete horror and disbelief, "But…I gave him the _Hypnocil."_

In the dream world, Freddy reattached his gloved hand back onto his wrist, smiling maliciously as Killer Croc's hollowed out body fell backward off the edge of the pit and disappeared in the dark water of the reservoir leaving a scarlet red puddle on the surface of the water.

-"Tick Tock, the Croc has croaked," the Headless Horseman said triumphantly.

-Freddy nodded his head, impressed by his minion's competence in securing the kill.

-"Not bad, not bad at all," he said, "Just promise me one thing."

-"Certainly boss," Mad Hatter said joyously.

-"Leave the one-liners to me."


	25. Chapter 23: Fall of an Empire

_Nightmare in Arkham_

Chapter 23: "Fall of an Empire"

-Three crows stood in the street pecking over the remains of another crow that wasn't quick enough to get out of the way in time. The dead crow may very well have come from the same family as the ones eating it but this didn't matter in the least to the three scavengers; meat was meat.

-Suddenly a car came bounding down the street. The birds scattered just as Leslie Thompkins roared past them carrying the badly injured Selina Kyle. Selina laid in the back seat with a thick linen sheet wrapped around her body that was covered in red stains. As the car raced down the street toward Gotham's Medical Center, the three crows took off into the sky.

_MEANWHILE…_

-Within the dream world, the Bridesmaid emerged from the dumpster she was left inside. She groaned as if waking up with a hang over. Everything around her was silent, save for the sound of the wind as it blew past her.

-"Puddin?" The monster called. There was no reply. "Puddin are you still here?" Silence. "Is anyone here? Hello?" The Bridesmaid proceeded to climb out of the dumpster. "Hel-LO" The Bridesmaid lost her balance as she was climbing out and tumbled out of the dumpster, landing face first on the concrete. She lay still for a short time until she felt something tugging on her hair.

-"Puddin? Puddin is that you?" The Bridesmaid reached a hand behind her head only to have it bitten by the crow that was pecking over her seemingly dead body. It didn't hurt the Bridesmaid, even as the blood seeped out of her finger, but it did startle her. She jerked her hand back as she rose to her feet and the crow flew off into the night with a loud "CAW! CAW!"

-When the crow was out of hearing range, there was complete silence again. The Bridesmaid slowly wrapped her arms around herself, a feeling of melancholy starting to pass over her. She dreaded being alone.

-She blindly walked away as the crow flew across the city and took rest the roof of a white-painted building.

-The building, though in a state of decay, still retained an extravagantly fancy appearance as its icy blue lighting shone like an iceberg in the beams of the full moon, especially in the glass done which gave off a blinding, crystalized illumination that could be seen from miles away.

In the real world Alice rushed to the storage room where all of the medication was housed. Dr. Leland was trailing behind her.

-"Alice! Wait! What the hell is going on?! You need to tell me now!" She pleaded still in shock from what she had just witnessed. Alice was silent. She didn't even seen to be aware of Dr. Leland's presence.

-When Alice reached the door to the medication room, she slammed the door and locked it as Dr. Leland screamed and banged on the door demanding Alice to come out. Wasting no time, Alice gathered as many sleeping pills as she could find and swallowed them without thought or fear of an overdose. She then grabbed an adrenaline shot and placed in the pocket of her lab coat before injecting herself with a sedation. By the time Dr. Leland finally got the door open, Alice was out cold on the floor.

In the dream world Alice awoke in the same place she had passed out, only now all the medicine containers and storage boxes had been replaced with buckets of blood and formaldehyde jars containing severed limbs. She rose to her feet with her hand on her Bug Zapper.

-Alice exited the room and found herself standing in the center of a massive hallway with a red carpet that seemed to stretch on for miles. The ceiling was lined with rotating fans that looked like plane propellers and there were old desks stacked with mountains of papers on top. The roof was so impaired that rainwater practically spilled into the hallway and whenever a bolt of lightening would sound, it would fill the room with its constant flashing. As Alice made her way down the fall, the desks would abruptly move away from the wall as she passed and the papers would fly down the hall carried by an invisible gust of wind.

Freddy watched her from his monitors. "Boys," he said to the Headless Horseman and the Mad Hatter. His minions looked up at him, "Get ready to send out Gourmand." Then he turned to his minions with a wicked smirk, "There's a doctor in the house."

_MEANWHILE…_

_-_Penguin had awoken at a table inside of the Iceberg Lounge. He was absolutely astonished to find himself inside of his most prized investment that he had made his kingdom for his empire in Gotham. Oh how he had missed the sight of the white-blue shade that bedazzled the interior, the crystal polished floors, the chandlers that hung like ice-cycles, the mural of the beautiful frozen mountain landscape under the night sky that was painted all around the central dining area, and especially the mountainous iceberg pilings that stood in the center of the ocean-blue pool where a band would always be playing sweet music to the patrons and himself. The Penguin found himself shedding tears of deep joy.

-As he got up and walked over to the pool and starred out at the clear, blue water, he heard a noise that sounded like the flapping of wings. When he looked up he saw a pair of crows soaring in the air. The two birds hovered above Penguin for a short time before coming to rest on the railing that lined the pool beside him.

-The crows seemed to study Penguin as he looked at them curiously.

-"Now how in the world did you two lovelies find your way into my humble abode?" He asked the birds as he leaned in closer, taking in the beautiful elegance of his feathered friends. One of the crows cocked its head as it starred at Penguin with its beady black eyes before the two birds flew from the railing and came to rest on the surface of the still water. Then something amazing happened that caused Penguin's eyes and mouth to widen to their fullest extent.

-A pocket of water bellow the crows' feet froze into a block of ice and the birds transformed into a human couple dressed completely in black. Their clothes were decorated in black feathers and they wore masks resembling crows. And then Penguin looked up to see another pair of birds, this time a pair of white doves, repeat the same process. And then a pair of humming birds, then a pair of blue jays, a pair of macaws, a pair of toucans, a pair of pheasants, a pair of rainbow lorikees until the entire pool was frozen over with dozens of beautifully colored dresses and happy couples on top. Then two mockingbirds gracefully swooped down onto the ice stones that roses out of the pool and transformed into a pair of beautiful women. And then, like duo of sirens from Greek mythology, the women began singing a soft, melodious tune as the couples on the ice began to dance.

-Penguin stood by the railing and watched the beautiful spectacle with pure bliss, slowly swaying his head to and fro with the rhythm of the music. Before long, the water was nearly completely frozen, save for one straight, red carpet shaped path that ran vertically down the center from the bank of the pool to the iceberg. And then as Penguin looked on, a section of the railing disappeared and staircase appeared that lead down to the unfrozen path on the water. As Penguin gazed at the staircase with confusion, his peripheral vision caught a glance of something moving toward it.

-He turned his head to see a peacock slowly walking toward the stairs with wide, elegant steps. Its blue head hung low to the ground and its massive tail feathers stayed down as it strode past the flabbergast Penguin without even noticing him. As the peacock began to descend onto the icy pool, Penguin waddled over to the staircase and watched with wide-eyed enchantment as the elegant phasianidae stepped onto the liquid surface of the pool to join its feathered friends in the aviary dance. With each step the peacock took, the water beneath its feet froze over until it reached the end of the path that lay at the foot of the iceberg.

-The peacock turned and starred at the Penguin with what appeared to be eyes of sadness. It was then that Penguin realized the most beautiful bird on the dance floor was the only one without a mate. And then the peacock changed.

-In a _Swan Princess _transformation fashion, the Peacock turned into a beautiful woman revealing it to be, not a peacock, but a _peahen_. The woman's dress was a heavy ocean blue in the front like the peacock's neck and chest. Her mask was a mixture of blue, green, and yellow that covered, not only her face, but also a portion of her head. On the head, a pair of crested feathers stood tall like a crown on the head of a queen. And on the back of the dress, a pair of long, train feathers hung down, each one adorned with countless ocelli (eyespots).

-The Penguin was so taken by the beauty of the woman that he took a few steps down the stairs but stopped when the woman took off her mask.

-The woman had long, orange hair, a dark red lips, a pair of grape green eyes, a pair of gold earrings, and a look of deep loneliness as she sadly kept her eyes to the ground.

-"Veronica," Penguin muttered to himself under his breathe.

-Penguin stood frozen in place as he looked upon the temptress that seduced him long ago. His heart still ached from the blow she dealt him. How could he have been so stupid? A woman like her, actually taking an interest in someone like him? It was all wishful nonsense. And now here she stood, alone, the most exotic bird in the room with no wings to lift her from her lonely sorrows. It was too good for her.

-Penguin shook his head and began to make his leave. But then Veronica lifted her head and Penguin saw the deep, remorseful melancholy on her face. Veronica's eyes were riddled with, not only sadness, but with regret as well. She opened her mouth as if about to speak, but stopped short and closed her mouth as tears began to form on the sides of her eyes. Penguin turned his full attention to her, expecting her to try and talk again, but Veronica turned her head to the floor unable to look him in the eyes.

-Penguin scoffed. _That's what I thought. I may have been a fool once but I am never a fool twice._

-With a disappointed glare, Penguin turned around, walked back up the stairs, and started for the exit. Then, out of nowhere, Veronica appeared before him. Her olive green eyes burying themselves into Penguin's arbor brown eyes.

-"If you have something to say then say it," Penguin irritably told her with a scowl.

-Veronica looked wounded. She opened her mouth to speak but had trouble finding the right words. As Penguin looked up at her with his arms folded and his patience thinning, Veronica's faced tensed and she slowly broke down in tears. She gently wrapped her arms around Penguin as she wept on his shoulder.

-At first Penguin didn't move or change his expression. But as Veronica's cries became heavier and her embrace tightened, Penguin's heart seemed to gradually melt as he softened his glare and accepted his former "lover's" embrace.

-After Veronica let go of the Penguin, she stared into his eyes with red streak marks running down her face and Penguin could see that she truly was sorry for what she did.

-With a small nod Penguin replied, "I forgive you."

-Veronica's frown instantly grew into a wide smile. The feathers that adorned the rear of her dress stood up like a massive fan in an elongated display of what looked like dozens of blue and green eyes looking back at the Penguin.

-As the Penguin gazed in utter amazement at the train of color, Veronica took him by the hand.

_-_In that moment, Penguin felt as if he had grown to twice his original size. For he was no longer just a penguin, he was the Emperor Penguin with his queen at his side.

-"Come, my love," he said triumphantly, "Birds of a feather must flock together."

-The two lovebirds marched back onto the ice as the mockingbirds finished their song and Penguin and his lover were met with tremendous praise from their feathery subjects. And then, the two mockingbird women gracefully descended onto the ice and each took the Penguin and Veronica by a hand and they levitated back up, taking the two royal birds with them. They stood them face to face on the highest peak of the iceberg and then stepped off, hovering in the air as they began their sweet song again

_MEANWHILE…_

-Alice now found herself inside of what appeared to be a Natural History Museum.

-As Penguin was enjoying the music on the ice, Alice also began to here a song start playing from an intercom system. It sounded like an eighties song with guitars, drums, and a very ominous tune. A woman's voice breathed heavily as the song began.

-Alice froze and looked around for the noise, aiming her Bug Zapper outward ready to fire. A female voice began singing:

_Darkness strikes once again,  
I'm all alone, it feels like the end  
He walks with me, while I sleep,  
It's like a heart attack on a one-way street_

_*_As Penguin danced with his beloved, the iceberg under his feet began lifting itself higher into the air as the mockingbirds continued to sing their song.

_I can't sleep tonight  
'cause I gotta run, gotta hide_

_*_The head of a massive Tyrannosaurs Rex appeared in front of Alice letting out a bone-chilling roar as its red eye starred straight at her.

-Alice screamed in shock and began…

_Running from this nightmare  
Running...  
Running from this nightmare_

-Not thinking clearly, Alice ran down a staircase right beside the colossal carnivore but when she turned toward it, she saw that it was animatronic. The mechanical monster slowly reset itself to a frozen standing position, its eye darkening.

-Alice scoffed and shook her head as she continued onward.

-The song continued:

_No way out, not this time,  
I've seen you before, inside my mind  
My heart beats faster with every step,  
I'm not afraid of you, you haven't gotten me yet_

*Penguin's iceberg thrown had reached the highest point of its empire. Had there been a sun, he would have surely been fried. Veronica took her left hand and she gently ran her index and middle fingers on either side of Penguin's "_Fine Roman Nose"._

*After about three more twists and turns Alice found herself standing in a rounded room with a double staircase. There were three sealed off tunnels beneath the stairs. In the center of the room was an old eighties record player where the song was being played. There was a sign written in red spray paint above the three tunnels that said _Gladiator Pit._

*As the mockingbirds' song climaxed, Penguin looked deeply into his lover's eyes and asked, "My love, shall we be this happy for the rest of eternity?"

*Alice began to walk casually toward the record player.

*Veronica slowly lowered her head closer to Penguin's face just as her fingers reached the tips of his Fine Roman Nose. After an intense pause, the song of the mockingbirds ended and Veronica responded…"_Nevermore."_

*Alice slammed her foot down on the record player and smashed it to pieces.

*With a wicked laugh, Veronica began to transform before Penguin's stunned eyes into a morbid, satanic harpy. Her smooth, white skin became dark and wrinkled and covered in warts. The beautiful peacock feathers instantly burned away to be replaced by a pair of giant red leathery devil wings that sprang up out of her back and tore off her dress. Under her dress, Veronica's body became so frail that Penguin could see her skeleton under her flesh. Her feet burst through her shoes having turned into a pair of razor sharp eagle talons and as she held up her hands, they too transformed into pair of massive bird-like claws. And finally, her beautiful bright orange hair turned blood red and became shaggy and stringy and her delicate green eyes burned with an orange glow that was as bright as the sun, causing Penguin to shield his eyes in both pain and horror.

-As Penguin's eyes recovered from the blinding flash, the harpy took flight and shot into the air like a rocket, smashing through the glass ceiling with an ear splitting shriek. All of the other dancers turned back into their bird forms and escaped out of the hole in the ceiling leaving the flightless Penguin alone atop his tower.

-When the Penguin's vision returned, he saw the two mockingbirds swooping down at him. As they neared their target, they changed into the Headless Horseman and Mad Hatter.

*Alice's eyes followed the staircase in front of her and as they wandered farther upward she saw that she was standing at the bottom of a deep chasm inside of a tower with over a dozen stairways and catwalks stretching across the narrow void above her head.

-_I knew you'd find your way back to Wonderland, Alice. _

-Alice gasped and shot her head forward. Freddy was standing right in the center of the platform where the double stairs met.

-"Sorry it took so long for me to get back to you. I've been redecorating, as you can see."

-"You're finished, Krueger!" Alice shouted as she fired a bolt from her Bug Zapper at him.

-Freddy leaped out of the shockwave's path and landed in the pit about ten feet in front of Alice

-"Why Alice," Freddy said starring at Alice's cast, "You seem a bit _one-sided_ tonight."

-Alice took another shot at Freddy but, with a burst of speed, he whizzed past her and snipped off a piece of her lab coat before disappearing. Before Alice could react, Freddy reappeared on the platform above the tunnels.

-"Hate to leave you so soon," Freddy said holding up the torn piece of fabric from Alice's coat in between his claws, "But I have patients to see." Freddy motioned toward a TV monitor and it showed nearly all of Alice's patients waking up somewhere within Freddy's domain.

-On Penguin's screen, he was desperately trying to fend of Freddy's minions with his umbrella.

-"You leave them out of this! This is between you and me Freddy!" Alice screamed with rage.

-"Sorry to tell ya sweetie, but you're just not as fun as you used to be. But don't worry, I've had a little something brought in to keep you company."

-With a thunderous roar, a monstrous, reptilian creature burst through the bars that sealed off the middle tunnel. It stood nearly 12 feet tall and had teeth that were at least six inches long. It had skin similar to a crocodilian with a dark green armored hide on the back. But the most disturbing feature was the giant, gaping hole inside the stomach that seemed like an empty, black vortex that could never be filled.

-Alice backed away as her eyes and mouth slowly opened in absolute shock.

-"Say hello to my new pet," Freddy said with smile. Then he turned to the hulking beast.

-"Gourmand, come!" Freddy ordered. The creature growled softly as it moved closer toward its master. As it lifted its head up, Freddy held out the piece of fabric like biscuit for a dog.

-Freddy looked back at Alice, who was still starring in horror at her former patient.

-"Let me tell ya, the biggest hassle with owning this pet: he's always hungry but never full," Then Freddy gave an evil smile, "And when he gets that first taste…" Freddy dropped the fabric and it slowly glided into the massive jaws of Gourmand, who snapped it up without hesitation. Seconds later, the torn fabric slid out of the hole in the creature's stomach, coated in blood, "…he always wants the rest of it."

-Gourmand shot his head toward Alice. Thick strands of saliva oozed off of his massive teeth and out of his open maw as he slowly approached her.

-"Be sure to save room for desert," Freddy said with loud laughter. He then vanished in a mass of fire.

-Alice slowly backed away as Gourmand drew nearer. Her eyes stayed glued to the ravenous monster.

-"W-Waylon?" Alice said with a shaky voice. The only response that came from her former patient was a loud, feral roar that shook the entire room.

_MEANWHILE… _

-Penguin was still trying to fight off his aggressors. He was using his umbrella as a shield and the gun within the tip as and offensive weapon. But the Mad Hatter's quick agility made it difficult for Penguin to fight him on equal terms.

-Just as Penguin was able to trap the Hatter on the edge of the iceberg with his umbrella, there was a loud slashing noise and the iceberg began to sway from side to side.

-The Headless Horseman had sliced clean through the base of the iceberg with his scythe.

-"There's always more than one way to break the ice," he said to himself humorously as he pushed against the iceberg causing it to topple over.

-The Mad Hatter gracefully jumped from the iceberg and landed beside his partner on the frozen lake while the Penguin began to fall.

-Thinking quickly, the Penguin activated the helicopter blades in his umbrella and stopped his fall. He then proceeded to airlift himself out of the ceiling as he threw a victorious laugh at his attackers.

-Penguin soared out his lounge and continued to ascend higher and higher into the dark night as the cryptic city became completely visible to him. He had reached an altitude of 1500 feet in the air when he heard the resonant screeching that sounded through the air.

-Penguin turned his head around and saw all of his feathered brothers and sisters that he had just shared the greatest dance of his life with all darting for in one giant mass of beaks and talons.

-Once they were on him, the all pecked and clawed relentlessly at Penguin's body. Each blow felt like a dagger shredding his clothes and penetrating his flesh. With only one free hand, the Penguin was helpless as the pointed tips poked and tore at him just as the beaks of the three crows had done to their own sibling. Then suddenly, all the birds scattered leaving a dazed and battered Penguin shaking with fear and agony as the rain drizzled down on Arkham City.

-Suddenly, Freddy popped down from the top of Penguin's umbrella and hung suspended in the air beside him while his left hand clutched the outer edge of the umbrella.

-"Hey Pengie!" He shouted catching Penguin by surprise. The moment Penguin turned his head toward Freddy, he inserted the tips of his middle and index blades into Penguin's nostrils, "How are you like the Roman Empire?"

-Penguin's voice was caught in his throat as he stared in wide-eyed terror at the dream demon. After five seconds without an answer, Freddy shouted, "Time's up!"

-Freddy yanked his blades forward and tore Penguin's nose completely off at the base. Penguin let out a tortured scream as Freddy laughed sinisterly.

-Then Freddy abruptly shot himself upward and out of sight exposing a figure that was tearing through the sky at break neck speed right toward Penguin.

-Penguin watched with his eyes and mouth agape with terror and doom as the blazing glow from the harpy's eyes raced toward him like an oncoming freight train.

-The harpy took a devastating swipe with her claws as Penguin's world went up in a blinding orange flash. However, the blow was not dealt to him, but to his umbrella. Penguin's flying instrument was smashed to pieces and rained down toward the earth. Now that the Penguin's wings had been clipped, he fell.

-Directly bellow Penguin was a statue that depicted Julius Caesar on the back of a horse with his sword raised high in the air as his horse reared up triumphantly on its hind legs in a glorious warrior pose.

-After more than 30 seconds of falling and screaming, the Penguin was suddenly silent and still. The back of Penguin's head struck the tip of the sword that the Caesar statue had raised to the heavens and the blade passed through Penguin's skull before the tip and part of the blade passed out of the base of what used to be Penguin's nose, giving him a "new Roman nose".

-Penguin's corpse hung impaled on the blade as a bolt of lightening clashed from above and his blood drained onto the statue's body, bathing it in fresh blood just as the man it was based on had been thousands of years ago.

-Freddy slowly walked around the statue admiring the new addition to the masterpiece.

-With Penguin's nose still clinging to the tips of his blades, Freddy raised his claw and positioned it so that the nose was directly aligned with his own.

-"_Et tu Brute, _bitch," He said before letting out roaring laughter.

_MEANWHILE…_

-Upon arrival at Gotham's Medical Center, Selina Kyle was rushed into the intensive care ward. It took the doctors nearly four hours to clean and sterilize her wounds before they applied the stitches. It took 180 stitches to completely close up the scars and Selina had been given five shots of morphine before her entire body was wrapped in thick sheets of bandages. She had been extremely insistent that the doctor's not use anything that would put her under for obvious reasons. And now she sat awake in a small hospital room; she could hear Leslie Thompkins outside the door speaking to a nurse.

-Then Selina heard another voice, a male's. When she realized who it was, she felt fear start to rise within her.

-"Oh dear God, please don't let him in. Don't let him see me like this." Selina whispered to herself.

-The door opened and Bruce Wayne slowly walked into the dimly lighted room. His eyes were filled with worry. Selina turned to him and when she saw his eyes widen, her heart sank a bit.

-Bruce slowly walked over to Selina and gazed into her eyes. Selina gazed back through the white bandages wrapped around her head and face.

-Bruce was terrified. Since the only parts of Selina's body that were visible were her eyes and mouth, he had no idea of the severity of the state she was in. But Selina was worried for a different reason, and Bruce's silence was feeding into her fear.

-When she could no longer bear the silence, she spoke. "Bruce," she said with tears starting to fall from her eyes.

-A portion of Bruce's anxiety was relieved. Selina was still able to speak and she was even able to recognize him.

-"What is it, Selina?" He said leaning down on his knees to meet Selina's eyes. That's when he saw the tears in her eyes.

-"Do…do you still love me?" Bruce was puzzled by the question, "Now that you know I'm just as weak as everyone else, and I'm probably disfigured…do you still love me?"

-Bruce was shocked by this question. He placed a delicate hand on each side of Selina's face and moved himself so that he was looking her dead in the eyes.

-"How could you say that? How could you even _think _something like that?" He said as a tear began to fall from his own eye. "If anything, my love for you is stronger now. Nobody's invincible, Selina. I couldn't even begin to tell you how weak I felt when I lost my parents. And disfigured? Your physical beauty is only a mere fraction of why I've loved for so long. I've loved you for your compassion and free spirit and kindness. No physical change is ever going to make feel any different about you."

-Selina was overcome with joy and relief and her heart fluttered at Bruce's compassionate words. Now she was crying. She moved her hands up to bring Bruce's face closer but Bruce shot his head forward before her hand could touch his head and he deeply kissed his love.

-Selina returned the kiss and gently placed her hands on the back of Bruce's head and shoulders as the two survivors shared their love and tears.

As Selina was being embraced by passion, sitting alone in nearly complete darkness inside of the room right next to Selina's with her back separated from Selina only by the wall that divided the rooms, was Poison Ivy.

-She had awoken after passing out days ago. But since then she had not moved, had not spoken, had not eaten, it didn't even seem like she had blinked her eyes, and she certainly had not slept. She just stared out into an invisible void, completely catatonic.

-The only source of light inside of her room came from the full moon outside of the open window beside her bed. Outside the window was a dead, leafless tree. Perched on the branch of the lifeless timber, starring into the open window directly at Poison Ivy, were three crows.


	26. Chapter 24: The Poisoned (Part 1)

_Nightmare in Arkham_

Chapter 24: "The Poisoned" (Part 1)

-"Who did this to you, Selina?" Bruce asked with anger in his voice.

-Selina was quiet for a moment as she contemplated the best way to explain what happened. "Bruce…I know how crazy this is going to sound but you have to believe me. I was attacked by a man inside of my dream."

-Bruce was silent as Selina continued, "His name was Freddy. When I fell asleep…I found myself wandering this decimated city that looked like Gotham had fused with Arkham Asylum. I heard screaming, so I ran to investigate and saw Dick Grayson falling from a rooftop."

-_Dick? _Bruce's eyes grew wide with fear, _He went after Dick?_

-"I saved him just as he was about to hit the ground and then this horrid, grotesque man appeared out of no where. I actually had a previous encounter with this man a few weeks ago but I didn't think much of it until Barbara-" Selina abruptly stopped and starred frozen as if a horrible image had just flashed before her eyes.

-"What is it?" Bruce asked with urgent fear.

-"Barbara," Selina replied with her eyes still frozen.

Barbara Gordon sat upright on her hospital bed with Jim Gordon sitting right beside her. Now joining them was Officer Montoya, who was pacing back and forth at the foot of Barbara's bed. Jim and Montoya looked bewildered.

-"Listen, you have got to believe me," Barbara insisted.

-Montoya stopped pacing and turned to Barbara, her eyes sympathetic.

-"Barbara, honey, it's not that we don't believe you it's just-"

-"Look at this!" Barbara said pointing to her shortened hair, "You think I did this to myself?

-"Barbara, listen, this is a _huge _story you're laying out here-"

-"Why would I make this up?"

-"Nobody is saying you made this up. You've been out cold for a long time, so there's a very good chance you're still reeling from the nightmares that you endured for su-"

-"I'm telling you: I could feel his hands when they grabbed me, I could feel the knives when they dug into my back, I could smell the death on his body, and I even felt my foot being burned. In fact, take a look at my foot," Barbara instructed.

-Montoya looked down where Barbara's feet rested at the foot of her bed. She slowly lifted the covers and then gasped in shock. Barbara's left foot was dark reddish-pink; a few sections of the epidermis were scorched to the point where they had formed severe blisters, and the ankle, as well as the outer arch had dead skin that looked like wet paper.

-"Jesus!" Jim exclaimed.

-"That happened to me in my dream," Barbara said with emphasis.

-"Montoya, get a doctor," Jim instructed.

-"Yes sir!" Montoya replied before rushing out of the room. Jim turned back to his daughter.

-"Dad," Barbara said nearly on the verge of tears, "please, I wish I could make this sound more realistic but I'm telling you the truth."

-"And I believe you," Jim replied. Barbara fell silent.

-"You…you do?"

-"After all the crazy shit that's gone down in this city over the years, I'm willing to believe anything now. I still think you need time to recover, but dream or no dream," Jim clenched his hand into a fist and continued angrily, "all I know is that when I get my hands on this son-of-a-bitch, I will watch him die slowly."

-Barbara smiled with relief, but then her smile faded when Jim turned to her with worry in his eyes.

-"In the meantime," Jim said in a soft, concerned voice, "there's something we need to talk about."

-Jim slowly took a seat in the chair beside his daughter. "Barbara, believe me, I wanted to tell you this for a long time, but I was afraid that if you knew, it would put a much heavier mental burden on you. But if I had lost you before you I had a chance to tell you this, I would never forgive myself."

-"What is it, Daddy?" Barbara asked both curious and nervous at the same time. Jim opened his mouth to speak but he was interrupted by a commotion in the hallway that caused him and Barbara to turn to the doorway.

-_"Wait! Hold on son!"_

_-"Get out of my way! I have to see her!" _

_-"You need a pass to be back here!"_

-_"Screw your pass!"_

_-"Guard! Guard!"_

-A third voice chimed in.

-"_Hold on! Ma'am, the boy is with me."_

_-"I don't care! Unless you're a family member, you have to schedule a visit ahead of time. You can't just barge in here like a lunatic and-"_

_-"Here, will this change your mind?"_

-After a pause, the female voice responded_, "Alright, go on in."_

-Barbara Gordon's door flew open and Dick Grayson staggered into the room panting heavily. His body was riddled in sweat and he seemed nearly out of breath.

-"Dick!" Barbara exclaimed with joy.

-Dick shot his head up. When he saw Barbara awake, alive, and smiling at him from the comfort of her bed, all the energy he had lost sprinting to the hospital instantly returned.

-He ran to her and wrapped her arms around her laughing with joy. Barbara retained an equally tight grip on her boyfriend until she opened her eyes and saw Bruce Wayne standing before her.

-Barbara's smile faded and she let go of Dick. Dick held onto Barbara a little while longer while Barbara stared back into Bruce's deep, solemn eyes. Part of her was afraid to see him; frightened by the fact that now she would have to face her mentor after failing him.

-Eventually, Dick released Barbara and she opened her mouth to try and speak to Bruce. However, she could not form any words. For a second, Barbara was actually expecting Bruce to yell at her, which she felt she rightfully deserved. But suddenly, Bruce's eyes filled with tears.

-He dropped to his knees and encircled his protégée in a tight bear hug weeping on her shoulder.

-"Thank God, thank God you're safe," he whispered into her ear before planting a soft kiss on top of her head. Barbara was speechless, but a gleam shined in her eyes.

_MEANWHILE…_

-The beam of light slowly grazed across Poison Ivy's no longer shining eyes. The only reaction she gave off was an occasional twitch or flutter of the pupils. Otherwise Her face was like a porcelain mask: no emotion, no movement, just an artificial stare.

-"How long has she been like this?" the male doctor asked.

-"A few days," the female doctor responded casually as she continued to trace Ivy's gaze in an apathetic attempt to get a response.

-"Geez," the male doctor said, "Poor thing."

-The female doctor froze, "Excuse me?"

-"I just said 'poor thing'. I mean, look at her, she's practically dead."

-The female doctor scoffed at the remark and turned to the male doctor with a large sneer.

-"Well you certainly got the "_thing"_ part right, but _poor," _the doctor turned back to Poison Ivy, "that adjective belongs to the dozens of people this monster slaughtered as she tore the city apart. Not to mention the hundreds of innocent people whose lives she took for walking on the grass or cutting down a few trees to progress the city."

-"Yeah but, our job is to heal not to judge. And besides, every living creature has to be capable of some form of compassion, right?" the male doctor replied.

-The female doctor turned again, this time she looked at her partner with both annoyance and disgust.

-"Open your eyes! Don't you realize who this is? This is _Poison…Ivy. _She preys on people like you. She either kills people, uses them as puppets, or both."

-Then the female doctor gave Ivy a murderous stare and brought her face up close to the plant woman until their faces were inches apart.

-"We shouldn't be wasting our time on you. Why don't you just die so we can focus on the lives worth saving?" she coldly said to the plant woman. Then she stood up and started walking toward the door.

-When she was out of the room the male doctor leaned close to Ivy and said to her, "Don't mind her. So long as your ass is still green I will always have hard-on for you baby," then he gave a wink before exiting the room.

Inside of Poison Ivy's mind, she sat curled in a fetal position. Although Ivy was physically awake, her mind had detached itself from her body and was still trapped within the dream realm.

-"_I love you, Red," _Ivy's whole body shook with devastation as the last four words Harley would ever say to her played in her mind over and over. Harley, the one that had made Ivy feel human after so many years, the one who Ivy swore she would protect, the one who looked up to Ivy like a mother, said _"I love you," _and the final memory that Ivy had left Harley was her cold, selfish rejection. All because Ivy just wasn't satisfied with having her as a friend, as a daughter, she just had to had have Harley as a lover, even if it meant manipulating her just like the Joker, just like the man who had turned Ivy into the creature she was today.

-But the thought that had completely destroyed Ivy, the one that had dealt her one of the most heart-shattering blows she had ever been dealt was: where was she when Harley needed her? Where was she when Harley cried out to her while the Joker tortured and mangled her? She was getting stoned. She had decided Harley was too much of a mental burden so she decided to block her out and left her to die. This had opened Ivy's eyes up to what she truly was: a poison; a force of nature that could only take over a living creature's mind and body and destroy it from the inside.

-While Ivy's body remained physically intact in the real world, her mind had completely deteriorated and the physical effects that it had on her body inside her nightmare were catastrophic: Her emerald-green skin was now a mixture of red and yellow, large patches of her flesh were now covered in blight, her tendrils had hardened to the point where they now resembled brown roots and the leaves and flowers that usually bloomed on them had withered and died, and her lush, red hair had wilted into a gray mass of what looked and felt like Spanish moss.

-While Harley's words continued to haunt Ivy, another sentence broke through her psyche: "_Why don't you just die?" "Why don't you just die? Why don't you just die? Why don't you just die?" _

In the real world, even though Poison Ivy's mind had been severed, her subconscious still allowed her brain to register the sights and sounds of her environment and react involuntarily on those thoughts. When the doctor's words registered in her head, Ivy turned her head toward the window, starring at the dead tree.

*Bruce Wayne had stepped out of Barbara's room to report back to Selina Kyle that she was awake and to fetch Leslie Thompkins to come and see her. For the first time in what felt like years, Bruce finally felt a sense of joy. But as Bruce rounded another corner, that joy was shattered by an image of the Joker.

-The Joker stood leaning his back against a wall. Blood dripped from various parts of his body and on the side of the Joker's face that was facing Bruce, he could see the enormous, reddish-black imprint from where he had struck him.

-The Joker turned toward Bruce and gave him a devilish smile; blood seeped through the teeth.

-"Well, well, well," The Joker said to the startled Bruce, "How have you been hanging, Bats?"

-"What?" Bruce said horrified, "How do you-"

-"Oh, ya know, it's amazing what a little bonker on the head'l do to ya. Makes ya think in ways you never thought, makes you see things like you've never seen them before, its like I'm back in the 70s all over again HAHAHAHA-" The Joker was cut off by a pained cough that sent blood shooting out of his mouth and onto the floor where it instantly evaporated. Then the Joker turned back toward Bruce.

-"Y'know if I'd ever been curious about your identity I'd have torn off that mask years ago."

-"So why didn't you?" Bruce asked.

-"Well, I always figured the truth would be a let-down. But I have to say, masquerading as Gotham's least interesting socialite is one hell of a cover story. The dead parents are just icing on the cake!"

-Bruce bared his teeth in anger and charged the Joker, slamming him against the wall.

-"Shut up! Or I'll-"

-"Go ahead," The Joker responded in a daring tone, "You've already done it once."

The Joker raised and eyebrow, "Well, actually it's been more than that, hasn't it? First there was poor little Johnny Crane, then Jervis, Barbara," the Joker narrowed his eyes and his smile grew wider, "and let's not forget my personal favorite…," after a long pause the Joker said, "Ivy."

-Bruce's heart sank as he was forced to listen to the names of the lives he had allowed to be destroyed. The Joker cocked and eyebrow, "Did I miss anyone?"

-Bruce raised his head in anger. "OH! How could I have forgotten about my sweet little honey-poo? Then again, I hadn't really thought about her until Ivy came knocking on my door." Bruce clenched both of his hands into tight fists as the veins in his neck began to bulge. "Look, Brucie sweetie, I know how torn up you are about Poison Oakey, but don't feel too bad. I mean, she's still alive at least. Better off than Harley. Kinda hard makin with the "yuks" when you're worm food_."_

-So much blood flushed into Bruce's face that he started to bleed from his nose as he grinded his teeth in absolute fury.

-"You're a fucking disease!" Bruce yelled at the Joker.

-The Joker smiled and replied, "Then you best stand back…I might be _contagious."_

-As the Joker gave off his maniacal laughter, Bruce yelled in a rage and swung his fist at the Joker. So powerful was the swing that Bruce's fist smashed through the wall sending a loud crashing noise echoing through the hallway. Bruce then began to pant heavily as he raised his head…and he was shocked to find that, not only was the Joker gone, but a frightened Leslie Thompkins was standing in his place. Bruce's fist was embedded in the wall less than half a foot from the old woman's head.

-Bruce backed away breathing heavily in absolute horror. The Joker's laughter still pounded in his head. Bruce grabbed at his hair and shouted, "No! No, leave me alone!"

-"Bruce?" Leslie said still a bit frightened, "Bruce!"

-Bruce closed his eyes and fell to his knees on the verge of tears, "Just go away! Make him go away!"

-"Bruce!" Dr. Thompkins rushed to him and wrapped her arms around him, "It's okay, Bruce! It's okay!"

-"Stay dead, damn you!" Bruce cried.

-"There's no one here, Bruce. It's just me. Calm down, everything's going to be okay," Leslie said tightening her grip around him.

_-"BRUCE!" _a female voice shouted from the hallway. Bruce opened his eyes and looked up to see Selina Kyle limping toward him trying her best not to stagger and fall over. Eventually, the pain that engulfed Selina's body became too much of a strain and she began to fall.

-Bruce shot to his feet and caught her before she hit the ground.

-"Help me get her back to her bed," Bruce pleaded. Leslie immediately made her way over to him and put Selina's arm around her shoulder. Together, they slowly and carefully brought Selina back to her room and eased her back onto the bed.

-Bruce looked at Selina as she stared back at him with worry.

-"Barbara's safe," Bruce responded, "She's awake and I just got done talking to her, she's unharmed."

-"Oh, thank God," Selina said with a sigh of relief, "When I saw how distraught you were I thought…wait, then what happened Bruce?"

-"I…I…," Bruce stammered.

-"Bruce has been under a great deal of stress these past few days," Leslie answered for him, "But don't worry, I'll make sure he gets as much help as he needs," she said eying Bruce as if she were telling him she wasn't giving him a choice. Bruce nodded.

-Leslie took Bruce by the hand and they slowly took their leave.

-Before they exited the room, Selina said, "Thank you, Bruce."

-Bruce stopped and looked back at Selina, "For what?"

-"For being here for me. I know I like to come across as someone who doesn't need anyone, but the truth is that's only because I know I have someone looking out for me."

-Bruce smiled, "When you have someone to care about, you always have to hold them close to the heart. I love you, Selina."

-"I love you, too, Bruce," Selina replied with a smile. Then Bruce slowly exited the room and closed the door.

-"This Joker business really has done a number on you, hasn't it Bruce?" Leslie asked with concern as they walked down the hall toward Barbara's room.

-"It's not just the Joker, Leslie, it's everything that's happened. I feel like it's all poisoned me."

-"Why do you feel responsible for it all?"

-"Because I didn't watch them. If I had been there when they needed me the most, they would all be here today." Leslie put a hand on Bruce's shoulders.

-"But some of them _are _here, Bruce. Selina may be hurt but she has once again proven that she is tough as nails. And Barbara, she's finally awake and very much alive. And Poison Ivy's still alive, too. And as long as she's still breathing she still has a chance for recovery, just like Barbara."

-Bruce was about to say something when a passing doctor interrupted, "What's this I hear about Poison Ivy?"

-"Oh, we were just-"

-"I heard you say something about her making a recovery. She actually woke up not too long ago."

-"What?!" Bruce responded anxiously.

-The doctor looked surprised by Bruce's response and when Bruce realized he had reacted a tad bit abruptly, he lowered his tone, "I mean, is she…is she stable?"

-"Well…" he said hesitantly, "I would have to say 'more or less' to that. I mean she is breathing but-"

-"Can we see her?" Bruce asked.

-The doctor was silent for a moment; he seemed a bit reluctant. But then he responded, "Ah, what the heck? I'm sure she wouldn't object any visitors and it's not like she can hurt anyone," the doctor seemed like he was attempting to be subtly humorous with that statement but Bruce didn't know why.

-The doctor took Bruce and Leslie to the door right next to Selina's and motioned Bruce to have a look inside.

Selina was starting to feel fatigued and slowly began dozing off as she continually snapped herself awake. As she was on the verge of drifting off, she was jolted awake by the sound of the doctor screaming next door, "_Oh shit!" _


	27. Chapter 24: The Poisoned (Part 2)

_Nightmare in Arkham_

Chapter 24: "The Poisoned" (Part 2)

_-_Poison Ivy slowly walked through the night in a trance like state. She had no knowledge of where she was or what she was doing. For it was not her own will that was driving her, but the memory and data stored within the dormant part of her brain. After the doctor's harsh words had entered Ivy's head, they seemed to poison her subconscious.

-It was these words that seemed to trigger the response that forced her to get out her bed, slip through her window, and begin her zombified journey along the path of which the blueprints that mapped "to" and "from" had been stored within Ivy's head. And this path was leading her straight back to Robinson Park.

While Ivy walked blindly in the waking world toward her pre-determined destination, Alice moved swiftly but aimlessly through the dream world as she ran for her life down a narrow sewer tunnel with Gourmand hot on her trail. She had tried multiple times to hit him with her Bug Zapper but it had finally started to run low on juice.

-Alice had thus far evaded Gourmand in the zigzag twists and turns of the sewers; as a crocodile, Gourmand had severe difficulty making sharp turns while giving chase. But Alice inevitably started to tire and before long she had reached a dead end.

-She turned around, panting heavily, and saw as the monstrous creature closing the distance between them, its mouth gaping in preparation to consume its morsel.

-Alice backed up against the wall, making one last attempt with her weapon but all she got was a miniscule spark and a puff of smoke. The reptilian monster closed on her as she began to prepare for her death when suddenly the concrete wall on her right side burst open as something large smashed its way through.

-Gourmand froze in his tracks at the sudden appearance of Bane, who now stood between him and his quarry.

-Bane looked about his surroundings to see where he had bashed his way into and the first thing he saw was Gourmand, who hissed at him menacingly. Then he looked to his left and saw Alice on the ground starring at him with a startled gaze.

-"Dr. Johnson, go. Flee while you can," he said to her, then he turned his attention over to Gourmand, "I will hold off the reptile."

-Alice opened her mouth in attempt to protest but couldn't get the words out. Eventually she rose to her feet and started making her down the passage Bane had made. Before she got too far, she stopped and turned around and said to Bane, "Please, be careful Dorrance."

-"Please do not address me by that name. That was my prison name," then he narrowed his eyes on Gourmand, who was getting ready to pounce, and said proudly, "I am _Bane, _as this monstrosity will soon discover."

-Gourmand lunged at Bane, letting out a ravenous growl, and Bane grabbed the huge animal as it slammed him against the wall. As the two titans battled, Alice ran down the collapsed corridor, taking care not to scratch herself on any of the shards of rubble or steel that lined the walls and ceiling of the tunnel. When she reached the end, she gave one final look over her shoulder and saw Bane throw Gourmand off of him before rushing him. Alice continued onward.

_MEANWHILE…_

-Victor Fries woke up in a completely dark environment that was ice cold and so dense that he could barely move his arms or legs. He tried to sit up but when he lifted his hands they almost immediately touched the ceiling of whatever he was inside of.

-Victor began screaming, certain that he had been buried alive. As he banged on the roof of his alleged coffin, a hard force jerked the coffin forward and Victor saw that he was actually in so kind of cupboard. When he looked at his surroundings, it looked as if he were inside of a morgue.

-The room was so cold that he could see his breath as the air escaped his lungs. The walls were frozen under a sheet of dense ice. And, lining the wall from which Victor studied his environment, were rows of cold chambers for which dead bodies were usually kept.

-"But…but, I'm alive," Victor said to himself in disbelief of his predicament. He quickly stepped out of the storage cupboard and it slowly closed.

-Victor turned around and noticed on the far side of the room what appeared to be another storage container. He walked closer to it and he soon recognized it as, not a container for stashing cadavers, but as one for temporarily freezing living begins until a they could be cured of an aliment. It was a cryopreservation chamber. And as Victor approached it he saw something written on the top of it that he could not decipher due to the ice covering it. He gently wiped away the frozen patch and could now clearly see the inscription: "_Property of GothCorp". _Victor gasped and backed away.

-"_Property", "Property", _that's what the wretched monster who took her referred to her as: "_His property". _She was nothing more than a toy to him, a lifeless doll that he could either use as a means to make profits or to use as his personal plaything. An anger began to well up inside of Victor's mind that made his head feel as if it were burning. Ferris Boyle's words were circling, echoing in his head until Victor unleashed a loud cry of pain and rage. He dropped to his knees and slammed his fist on the ground.

-As he lay down on his hands and knees breathing heavily, he heard something roll across the floor. He opened his eyes as his snow globe came to a rest directly beneath his face. Victor picked up the tiny sphere and examined it. He was puzzled when he saw that the young, beautiful blonde woman that reminded him so much of his wife was now absent from the globe.

-Victor starred blankly at the empty treasure for a few moments before rising to his feet, his eyes still fixed on the snow globe. As he lifted his head, he saw through the transparent glass of the snow globe an image of Nora.

-Victor gasped and covered his eyes thinking his mind was playing tricks on him. "No! No! Be gone specter! Do not haunt me! I cannot bare it!"

-He slowly turned back, expecting the vision of Nora to have vanished as quickly as it had appeared. Instead, it now stood directly in front of him.

-Nora's sun blonde hair hung down past her shoulders, her lips were as pink as a fresh blossom on a Spring day, her white dress gave off a bright glow that lit the dark passageway in which Victor stood.

-Victor's mouth hung open in a dumbfounded gape, unable to speak. He slowly raised a hand and gently placed it on Nora's pale cheek. Victor couldn't believe it, it was really her!

-Then, for the first time in what felt like an eternity, Nora opened her eyes. The soft, blue irises meeting the cold, frozen eyes of her long lost husband. A tear fell from Victor's eye.

-Nora's hand slowly rose and rested on the hand that her husband still held pressed to her cheek. And then Nora smiled at her husband.

-Tears began to pour from Victor's eyes as he gazed at the most angelic image he had seen years. And then, Nora's body changed.

-The image of the woman Victor loved so disappeared to be replaced by a mass of glowing white light.

-Victor was startled. "Nora? Nora?!" He called out.

-The white light began to move out of the room and down a narrow passage. Victor raced after it.

-Although the light moved about as slowly as a ghost aimlessly floating through a haunted house, Victor still found it difficult to keep up with it. Every time he would turn a corner the light would already be down one ahead of him.

-As Victor continued to follow the apparition of his beloved wife, the glow cast by her light revealed a macabre scene on the walls as he past them. On both sides of the halls stood a line of display cases that had animals, objects, and even people who were either frozen or stuffed and put on display like hunting trophies.

-There was a copy of _The Looking Glass _that sat next to a horribly decomposed headin one case. In another was a pair of severed lips that hung alongside two stuffed hyenas. There were two massive alligators with a broken neck and back hanging from the ceiling. There was a cat with four slash marks running down one side of its body. There was also an entire line of horribly burned cadavers that looked like they were young teens. A severed nose sat alone in a cubic display case. But the most horrid display was yet to come.

-As Victor carried on, he began to see trophies and displays of….children. Children with eyes cut out, children with skin torn from their bodies, burned children, skeletal children, beheaded children, there were at least 20 of them, most of which were hanging from the ceiling by chains.

-"What sort of un-Godly place is this?" Victor asked terrified. He began to think that maybe he really _was _dead and this was Hell. And then Victor caught sight of something that lay past the jungle of corpses: A large door with a neon lit sign that said "_My Crown Jewel"._

-He starred at the door in silence before slowly approaching it. As he passed the dead children, one of their arms seemed to reach up and grab Victor's shoulder. He screamed and tore away from the lifeless arm.

\- Victor placed a hand on the door but before he could open it, he turned around we heard a noise that caused him to freeze.

-"_One, two, Freddy's coming for you…" _Victor looked around to find the source of the noise. Then he saw one of the heads of the dead children turn and stare at him before singing, "_Three, four, better lock your door…"_

_-_Then another child turned to him, a little girl with no eyes. "_Five, six, grab your crucifix…". _Then a severed head of a little boy picked up the next verse, "_Seven, eight, better stay up late…". _And then the song was concluded by one of the skeletal corpses, "_Nine, ten, never sleep again."_

-Then all of the corpses started singing in unison for a few moments while Victor stood frozen in sheer terror. Then, the door behind him burst open allowing a blinding light to flood the room.

-Victor had stepped through the door and beheld the "crown jewel": a display case within the Arkham cellblocks that showed Poison Ivy's deteriorated mind still balled up in the center with a red mist filling the case just as it had done with Barbara.

-It took him awhile to realize whom he was looking at because of the mist, but he eventually recognized the plant woman's silhouette.

-"Miss Ivy?" Victor called. Ivy did not respond, "Miss Ivy, can you hear me?" Still no response.

-Victor tried banging on the glass. Had he been in possession of his freeze suite, he could have shattered the glass with no effort. But the glass was ballistic, strong enough to repel bullets, and Victor's meek hands left little more than a smudge as he banged his fist on the glass trying to break it.

-Then he heard footsteps. He turned to his left and saw a figure slowly approaching. Victor focused his vision and as the figure drew nearer, he recognized Alice.

-"Dr. Johnson!"

-Alice shot her head forward. "Oh Victor, thank God!" She exclaimed running toward him.

-"Dr. Johnson, I need your help," Victor said with fear in his voice, "It's Miss Ivy; she's trapped in there," Victor said pointing to the cell.

-Alice immediately ran to the cell and peered inside. She saw Ivy but could not yet see the severity of the damage that had been done to her. Alice instructed Victor to stand back before she ran at the glass and kicked it as hard as she could.

In the waking world, Batman raced to Robinson Park. He knew that would be the one place Poison Ivy would return too; at least, that's what he hoped. He knew her plants had been destroyed but he also knew Ivy was not one to abandon a place she called home. _Please Ivy, _Batman thought to himself, _Don't do anything stupid. _

-Batman had arrived back at the storage shed he and Alice had discovered in the forest and he pulled up the floorboard and ran down the corridor.

-"Ivy!" Batman called out, "Ivy! Are you here?!" "Ivy, please! I want to help you!"

-Batman turned to a wall and noticed something peculiar on it: There were two pictures hung up that had been shot several times with mini arrows. One was a headshot of Batman, the other a headshot of Bruce Wayne.

Within the dream world, Alice had exhausted herself trying to break through the glass with no luck. As she was about to make another futile strike on the glass, she heard loud footsteps approaching. She and Victor turned around and saw a bloodied and battle-scarred but victorious Bane proudly walking toward them.

-"Bane!" Alice shouted, happy to see he was okay, "You made it!"

-Bane chuckled, "You had doubts that I would?" Then he held up his arm revealing a massive tooth embedded inside, "Little bastard got a lucky bite, but I doubt he'll ever have the same luck again…without his teeth," he said with a smile. Then he noticed Ivy trapped inside her cell.

-"Oh Dios mío!" Bane exclaimed.

-"We have to get her out of there," Victor said anxiously.

-"Stand aside," Bane instructed. He ran at the glass and slammed one of his gargantuan fists into it. The glass shattered to pieces and the red mist escaped out of the cell. Now able to see the physical damage that had befallen her, Victor, Bane, and Alice were horrified.

-_My God, what has he done to her?_ Alice thought to herself. She ran to her and placed both of her hands on Ivy's shoulders as Ivy stayed in her fetal position with her head buried in her knees.

-"Ivy, can you hear me?" Alice asked, desperate for a response. "Ivy?" Alice shook Ivy but she wouldn't look up. But now Alice could hear Ivy's weeping.

-"Ivy?" Alice asked more determined now that she knew Ivy was alive.

-"It's gone," Ivy said through her crying, "Everything's gone."

-Alice looked confused, "Ivy…Ivy I don't-"

-Ivy's crying grew heavier as she replied, "I let her die"(sob)"I'm sorry, Harley. I'm sorry."

-Alice was silent for a moment. Then she felt a lump in her throat. She swallowed, and then slowly moved one of her hands to Ivy's discolored hair, gently stroking it. As Alice stroked away a strand of hair on Ivy's forehead, she noticed the bruise she had inflicted on her long ago. It had turned into a brown, devitalized blight.

-Alice closed her eyes and sighed with dismay. "No Ivy, you're wrong."

-Ivy was silent for a moment, then she slowly lifted her head up. Alice let out a silent gasp.

-Ivy had wept for so long that her tear ducts had become irritated to the point where Ivy was now actually crying blood from her eyes, which had covered her cheeks in an algae green.

-Alice looked into Ivy's eyes, trying to contain her shock. Then she reached into the chest pocket of her lab coat and took out the Queen of Hearts card.

-"I want you to have this," She said to the plant woman, "Harley gave me this as a friendship token. But from what's she told me about the history you and her shared, I know she would have wanted you to have it more had she known how short her time was."

-Bane and Victor watched tearfully from the cell entrance. Victor actually found himself crying, which he thought he had long lost the ability to do. But seeing such compassion brought back feelings he thought he would never feel again.

-Alice took the card and placed it behind Ivy's ear. After Ivy stared silently at Alice, she broke down in bloody tears again.

In the real world, Batman had gone down into the desolated Eden. He shined a flashlight in the nearly pitch black cavern that used to be illuminated in a vibrant display of color from the plants. As he trudged through the brown-yellow grass and dried up foliage, the beam of light eventually caught something that made Batman stop.

-On the barren ground, Batman found the dead, but still slightly intact, message that Ivy had left for her children. The flower petals still had tiny traces of color on them but they were just as dead as the rest of the flowers in Ivy's former home. And then Batman noticed something else.

-Lying right beside the message was the box that contained Ivy's mementos from the children she had fostered.

-Batman took the box and examined the contents. As Batman examined each item, he began to recognize some of them from the pictures he had seen of the children that the city had reported missing in the wake of the earthquake. Even thought the parents had been killed, the childrens' bodies were never found and so they had issued a search to find any of the ones that had not been found along with the deceased families. The case went cold and all the children had been presumed dead.

-Batman looked back at the message and then back at the box and he started to wonder…but his thought was suddenly broken when he turned around and the flashlight picked up the image Batman had feared he would encounter most of all.

-Batman gasped and backed up as he stood frozen with his eyes locked on Poison Ivy as her limp body dangled by her neck with the noose that been fastened out of dead vines swaying gently from the branch of the dead tree that once been a memorial to Ivy's children. Her face was now harlequin green.

In the dream world, Ivy's body began to slowly decay. Her hair began to fall of, the color began to drain completely from her body, and her eyes began to glaze over, but Ivy seemed to be aware of her impending death and made no protests as she continued to cry.

-Alice gasped.

-"Dear God, wants happening to her?!" Victor shouted running to Alice's side with Bane following.

-"Ivy!" Alice shouted as she grabbed her shoulders and shook her violently. "Wake up, Ivy! Wake up!" Ivy's body began to shrivel.

-"Wake up!" Alice shouted desperately as she slapped Ivy across the face. Ivy slumped over as her breathing became weaker.

-Victor and Bane sat her put and tried frantically, along with Alice, to revive her but nothing seemed to be working.

-Ivy was on the verge of death when, in the chaos, Alice suddenly realized, "the adrenaline shot!"

In the real world, Batman had cut the noose and was now holding Ivy's motionless body in his arms.

-"Jesus, Ivy. What the hell sort of an end to life is this?" He said with a tight throat, "Slowly suffocating alone in the dark surrounded by death? This isn't how Harley would have wanted you to die." There was a long silence, and then Poison Ivy's eyes abruptly shot open once again shining green and she sprang to life in Batman's arms, coughing and gasping for air. Batman dropped her as he jolted in surprise.

-Ivy frantically shot her head in all directions, screaming hysterically as she continued to gasp for air. She had no idea where she was or what had just happened.

-"Ivy!" Batman shouted as he rushed to her side. Ivy flailed on the ground, frightened out of her mind while Batman grabbed her and tried to calm her.

-"Ivy, it's okay, you're okay!" Batman grabbed Ivy and held her still while positioning her so that she was looking right at him, "You're safe now." But Ivy resisted his grasp and continued to fight against him. She screamed as if she were being attacked. But eventually, she became exhausted, both physically and mentally, and she slowly sank into Batman's arms sobbing.

-Batman wrapped his arms around Ivy and held her tightly.

-"God, what did you think you were doing, Ivy?"

-"I loved her," Ivy said as she sobbed on Batman's chest, "I loved her more than anything!"

-As Ivy continued to cry hysterically, Batman found himself fighting back his own tears as he held Ivy tightly, for he knew her pain all too well.

-As Batman held Ivy, he felt that her body was cold as ice and she was shivering.

-Batman took off his cape and wrapped it around Ivy. "Come on," he said, "Let's get you out of the dark."

-Ivy, slowly nodded and allowed Batman to ease her up and lead her upstairs into the light.


	28. Chapter 25: Saying Goodbye

_Nightmare in Arkham_

Chapter 25: "Saying Goodbye"

-Poison Ivy's eyes glowed with a daze as she sat on her couch with Batman massaging her neck, his cape still covering her body. She had not said a word since Batman brought her out of the ruined Eden, but her occasional moans and sighs of relaxation told him that she was at least trying to allow her long-suffering mind some ease. There was also a small mirror on the far side of the room that allowed Batman a view of Ivy's face and he could see that, while her face still carried heavy traces of pain and depression, his touch was giving her some comfort. Every so often, Ivy would start to doze off as the parallel stimulation on both sides of her neck caused her blood pressure to go down, at which point Batman would give her neck or shoulders a tight squeeze to snap her awake.

-When Batman took his eyes off the mirror, they stopped on the headshot of himself that Ivy had used as target practice.

-Ivy's throat felt sore from the strain of the vine and she took a sip of iced-water from the glass that sat next to the couch.

-"Batman," Ivy said with a weak, raspy voice.

-Batman paused his stroking on Ivy's neck. "Yes Ivy?" He asked sounding stunned that the plant woman had spoken. She turned her head and shrugged her shoulders, signaling for Batman to continue rubbing her, which he did.

-Ivy cleared her throat and tried to talk again. This time, she was able to muster more volume as she spoke but her voice still sounded like she was coming down with a bad cold. "Why did you save me?"

-"What do ya mean?"

-"Why would you, of all people, go out of your way to save someone like me? You could have let me die; then I'd be one less freak for you to worry about."

-"Because," Batman said solemnly, "If I had done something like that, I could never go back."

-Ivy was confused, "Never go back? I don't understand."

-"If I wanted to rid Gotham of crime through murder, don't you think I would have? Don't you think I would have killed you, and Penguin, and Scarecrow, and H-" Batman was about to say "Harley" but caught himself; he dared not put that image in Ivy's head again, "Don't you think I would have killed all of you long ago?"

-_Fair point, _Ivy thought to herself. "Then why didn't you want to? It would have been easy."

-"Exactly," Batman said, "It would have been easy to just label something a problem and exterminate it, easy to just pull a trigger and watch the problem vanish, easy to just completely overlook the fact that everyone is just as equally a victim as anyone else. But then what would that make me?"

-"Just another murderer," Ivy answered.

-"Precisely," Batman replied, "I want to help you, Ivy. I've been trying to help all of you since day one. But the problem is, none of you ever seem to _want _help."

-Ivy was speechless, she even felt touched. But after a moment of deep thought, she felt a heavy gloom push down on her. Batman saw this in Ivy's reflection; small tears had just started to run from her eyes.

-"Are you alright?" Batman asked concerned as he gently turned Ivy's head toward him.

-Ivy's lips trembled and she finally choked out, "I'm long past the point of help, Batman."

-"No, you're not," Batman insisted.

-"Do you know why I call myself 'Poison Ivy'? Because every living thing that I touch ends up dying," Ivy was crying now, "When you were down there, did you see the memorial?"

-"Yes"

-"That was for my children, my _human _children."

-"The ones that went missing in the earthquake?"

-Ivy nodded, "They died because of _me. _I loved all of them, and my love poisoned them," Ivy paused to sniffle, "And Harley-"

-"Harley was _not _your fault," Batman said leaning his face closer to Ivy's.

-Ivy ignored him, "Harley told me I was like a mother to her. What kind of mother lets her own daughter get beaten senseless by a psychopath for years on end? She had an addiction, and I _enabled _her! And then, right after I tore her away from someone who was trying give her the help that I never could, after I made her feel guilty for doing nothing wrong, she said '_I love you, Red'. _That was the last thing she ever said to me…and I let her die!"

-As Ivy continued to cry, she broke off into a coughing fit.

-Batman took the glass of water off the table next to the couch and brought it to Ivy's mouth. Ivy drank the entire glass in just a few gulps and then began inhaling oxygen.

-"Easy, Ivy, easy," Batman said as he ran his fingers along Ivy's scalp. As he did so, something fell from behind Ivy's ear. Ivy picked it up and was both puzzled and amazed by what it was.

-In Ivy's left hand was the card that Alice had given to her inside of her dream. How was that possible?

-As Ivy stared at the card Batman instructed her to turn around and look at him. Ivy complied.

"Do you honestly think that's what those children think of you right now? The one who gave them a home; the one who gave them a family? And Harley, after everything that you and her have been through, after the chemistry you two shared for…oh God, how long has it been?"

-"Almost 10 years," Ivy replied.

-"And you think Harley would have willingly made her last memory that of you pushing her away because of some emotional circumstance? Let me tell you something, Ivy, you helped her in ways that not even _I _could have. Where do you think she would be if the Joker were her only companion? How long do you think those children would have lasted if you hadn't taken them in?"

-Ivy just stared at Batman in silence.

-"You know, Ivy, you have always intrigued me. Do you remember when you tried to start your own family with Steve Carlyle? Even though that family was created on your 'own terms', you did everything you could to make it seem real. Instead of forging a family from leaves and flowers, you gave yourself a human husband, human children, and you even told me that for once in your life you were happy. Were you?"

-After a pause, Ivy tearfully nodded her head, "More than you can possibly imagine."

-"And, once again, despite your hatred of people, you became a mother to dozens of human children. And you even struck up a friendship with a so called 'flesh sac'. Why? Why would someone who bears such a strong resentment toward mankind continuously embrace it and allow it to embrace her…Because the one human you hate above all others is _yourself, _that's why._"_

-Ivy's eyes widened in shock.

-"I remember you told me that, because of your immune system, you could never have children of your own. So what better way to relieve yourself of that pain than to shun away human contact completely? Except, while you can always distance yourself from a person or object, it's nearly impossible to escape the desire or need for it. Which, I'm sure, made you all the more happy when you finally got a chance to be the mother you could never be and to find love that you thought you would never find. But then, you seem to think that every time you fail to keep that person safe, you fail them completely. That their fate is completely your fault."

-Batman fell silent for a moment, having realized he had spelled out the exact same thoughts and feelings that been circling his own mind,

-After a moment, Batman sighed and concluded, "And in doing so, you make yourself immune to every poison except your own."

-Poison Ivy looked as if she had gone back into her catatonic state, only her eyes were still glowing. Very slowly, she turned her gaze down to her lap until she was looking straight at the Poker card. Ivy took the card in her hand and slowly held it up in front of her, starring at it as if it were speaking to her.

-Batman gently placed a hand on Ivy's arm, forcing her to lower the card and look back at him. He then emphasized to Ivy, "Harley's death was not your fault, neither was the death of those children. Sooner or later, Ivy, _everyone _dies. Your touch had nothing to do with it. Because every touch you gave them was one of compassion," Batman then leaned his face closer to hers and concluded, "There is no need for you to keep poisoning yourself, Pamela."

-Ivy threw herself into Batman's embrace weeping with passion. She had never been so touched by anyone's words in her entire life. Batman brought one of his hands to Ivy's back and started rubbing it while she basked in what she could only describe as genuine love.

-"I just…" Ivy said through her tears, "I just wish…I could have said goodbye."

-Batman opened his eyes and slowly ceased rubbing Ivy's back. After a moment of silence, Batman exhaled out of his nose and slowly rose to his feet. "Come on," he said.

-Ivy looked confused, "Where are we going?"

-"I'm going to give you a chance I didn't get," He responded.

Within the dream world, someone was watching Batman and Ivy on Freddy's screen as Ivy reluctantly rose to her feet and followed Batman out the door.

-"Christ," said a husky English voice, "For someone o' ra'ly cries, this plant sure 'as plenty a water in er'."

-Then a hand reached into a fish bowl that had small, live fish inside and grabbed one around its tiny frame as it tried desperately to wiggle free. The hand then brought the fish's head toward a mouth filled with yellow, pointed teeth covered in cigar stains. Once inside, the teeth bit down on the fish's head with a horrible "_crunch" _and severed it from the body. A tiny trickle of blood ran down the chin of the mouth as it grinded the scales, muscles, eyes, and bones like a piece of celery. Then, the Englishman casually tossed the fish's tail end over his shoulder and it landed on the ground in front of a catwalk just as the Headless Horseman and Mad Hatter ascended to the top, lugging the massive body of a motionless Gourmand. Gourmand's mouth was completely toothless and the teeth had been stabbed into various parts of his body.

-The Headless Horseman slipped on the ass end of the fish and released his hold on the bulking body and it covered the Mad Hatter as it fell on him.

-"There you blokes are!" The English voice shouted.

-"We would've been back here sooner if you'd have helped us," the Headless Horseman said angrily.

-"Pipe down and set that pika's boody up so we cun finish the jub!"

-"Who the hell died and made you king?" the Mad Hatter said as he wiggled out from under the reptile's body. When he got up, there was gunshot and a lance struck him in the forehead, tearing the neck from the body and pinning it against a wall. The English man then got up from the chair and walked toward the two monsters.

-The man was incredibly short, had a wrinkled face, a cigar in his mouth, a black umbrella with a tip that was expelling a small stream of smoke, a nose made from the tip of a steel blade that had been curved at an angel like a beak, and a top hat decorated with the yellow crest feathers of a macaroni penguin.

-"Oswald Cobblepot, that's who," the man said, "And I ain't a king, I'm the _Emperor! _The Emperor Penguin, hear me!"

-After the Horseman sat Gourmand's body up against a railing, he motioned the Emperor Penguin forward, "He's all yours', _Master," _the Horseman said with discontent.

-The Emperor smiled a disgusting, brown-yellow smile and said, "Gewd."

-He walked over to Gourmand and, as he was doing so, he activated a device on his umbrella that caused a razor-sharp propeller to emerge from the tip that spun in a circle like a saw blade.

-He looked at the Horseman, "You best stan' back son, things are about to get real messy," and with that, he gleefully plunged the propeller down on Gourmand's head, laughing as he did it.

_MEANWHILE…_

-Riddler and Two-Face were held up inside of the Solomon Wayne Courthouse. Both of them had scoured the city together after crossing paths with Riddler leading the way. Despite the abominable appearance of the slum they were roaming, Riddler still recognized much of the landmarks as those found within Gotham City: a little Italian restaurant on 19th Street, the Gotham Cathedral, the GCPD Building, and the Monarch Theatre. But, despite knowing precisely where everything was located in the city, logic was not serving him well. Every twist and turn would lead the duo into unfamiliar territory until they would find themselves hopelessly lost. Eventually, by a string of luck, they found themselves standing outside of the courthouse, the place that Harvey Dent was most familiar with. After flipping a coin, it was decided that they would take up refuge in the courthouse and wait for someone to come to them instead of blindly wandering deeper into the abyss of this nightmare realm.

-For nearly two hours now, Two-Face had preoccupied himself with sitting in the judge's chair and flipping his coin up and down. Now, the constant ringing from the coin was starting to grade on the Riddler.

-"Will you cut it out?!" he snapped at Two-Face, startling him and causing him to drop his coin as it descended. "How can you remain so calm?"

-"Because fate's telling me to," Two-Face replied.

-"Well have you tried listening to reasoning? Because mine is telling me that we should be doing something right now."

-"We are doing something: we're staying safe."

-"Staying safe? I'm about to die of boredom!"

-"Look, I told ya, this coin has never steered me wrong before. All we have to do is wait."

-"Wait for who, exactly? Did you see anyone else in the city while we were out there?"

-"No, but I also saw that we were getting nowhere. Do you even know how we got here in the first place?"

-"No, all I remember is resting my head on my pillow and then when I opened my eyes…wait a second."

-"What?"

-"We're in a dream!"

-"That's nuts, Eddie,"

-"No! Think about it: the repeating patterns in the directions we walked, the images that have been taken in by our minds' eyes, did you know it's impossible for the mind to create faces in a dream? Meaning, if you came across someone in your dream, you would have had to have seen them in real life. That's why you're the only person I can recognize right now: somehow our dreams have become intertwined."

-"Okay, so how does that help us?"

-Riddler face-palmed, "All we have to do is wake up!"

-"And how do we do that?"

-"Well, right now, we're clearly in some kind of lucid dream. So, since we're in control right now, we just have to create some sort of gateway for ourselves."

-Riddler turned to a door on the far end of the room, brought both of his hands to his head, and starred at the door with complete concentration as if he were trying to channel it.

-After thirty seconds, Two-Face chuckled, "Tell ya what: I'm going to flip my coin to determine whether or not you've completely lost your mind."

-Right after Two-Face flipped his coin, Bane smashed through the doors, causing both him and the Riddler to jump in surprise.

-"Dr. Johnson! Senior Freeze!" Bane called out, "I have found two more of our people!"

-Two-Face, having recovered from his shock, looked at the result of his coin toss. Heads: Riddler was still sane (more or less).

-Alice and Victor were in the midst of ascending a staircase when they heard Bane call them. Alice rushed down the stairs and darted around a corner with Victor following. However, just as Victor was about to reach the bottom of the stairs, he took one quick glance over his shoulder and stopped dead in his tracks. Nora was standing about eight steps higher on the stairs, her eyes piercing those of her long-lost husband.

-For about 10 seconds, Victor stood dumbfounded by the reappearance of his wife's apparition. Then, slowly as a drop of water sliding down an ice-cycle, a tear fell from Nora's eye.

-Victor's heart sank from the realization that his wife was in pain. "Nora," he said reaching out to her as a tear fell from his own eye.

-Behind Nora, as the staircase ascended higher, a mass of complete darkness appeared. Nora slowly closed her eyes and began floating backwards into the abyss.

-"No! Please, don't leave me again! Nora!" Victor screamed as he chased after his wife.

*"Thank God we found you," Alice said with relief.

-"Where, exactly, are we right now?" Riddler asked.

-"To tell you the truth, Edward, I don't have a clue," Alice said, then she added with a serious tone, "But we have got to get out, now."

-Riddler looked into Alice's eyes, sensing a major disturbance within her mind. "Something's troubling you, Dr. Johnson. Do you know something we don't?"

-Bane and Two-Face all looked at Alice with heightened curiosity. After a moment of depredation, Alice sighed and said, "If I told you, you wouldn't believe me. And right now, that's probably for the best. But if you want an explanation, right now we are all in one giant dollhouse and _we _are the dolls. As for the person playing with the dolls, the only way we can defeat him is if the five of us-"

-"Five?" Two-Face interrupted, "You mean four."

-Alice looked confused, "No, can't you see, there's-" Alice turned around and saw that Victor was gone. A cold shiver ran up her body.

_MEANWHILE…_

-Victor felt like his body was on fire. He had been racing up a staircase that seemed to have no end and the only light source guiding him through the shroud of darkness was the ghostly light. Otherwise, there was nothing else surrounding him but an endless expansion of black that threatened to consume him should he fall off the stairs. This thought greatly frightened him as vertigo began to set in, and he could barely keep his balance as the incline carried on to infinity.

-Finally, just when Victor thought his lungs would explode, the phantasmal illumination burst in a blinding flash that lit up Victor's entire surrounding.

-When Victor's vision recovered, he saw that he was inside of a giant ice-room that was lit with a dark shade of blue. The staircase had vanished completely and he was now standing on top of a giant iceberg at least 50 tall that was rising out of what looked like a frozen lake at the bottom. And standing right in the center of the icy platform on which Victor now stood was a cryopreservation chamber with the body of Victor's beloved Nora, once again frozen in catatonic slumber.

-Victor was devastated. Why was his mind torturing him so?

-As tears rolled from Victor's eyes, he slowly approached his sleeping beauty, placed both of his palms on the glass, and leaned his face and body into it in an attempt to give his wife as much love as her prison would allow him. Then, he looked into his wife's ghostly face and said, "Please, I'd give anything: my heart, my soul, my flesh, even my own life, just to hear you speak. Say something my love, anything." There was a long, moment of dead silence…then Nora's eyes shot open, and Victor beheld the most terrifying image he had ever encountered since the dead children.

-Nora's eyes were gone, replaced by two black sockets so vacant that Victor could see the bone-outline.

-Then, Freddy's voice sounded throughout the room. _"Your wish is my command, but I'm afraid that before I hold up my end of the bargain, you'll have hold up yours': your soul belongs to me!" _

-As Freddy's voice boomed inside of the room, the water inside of Nora's chamber began to boil and the entire room was cast into a crimson red light as the flesh and muscle melted off of Nora's body leaving only a charred skeleton. As Victor's heart was about to be regurgitated out of his throat, Nora's chamber exploded into a massive ball of fire.

-Victor was sent flying through the air along with a few chunks of ice as the blazing inferno that used to be his wife plunged downward into the frozen lake, completely melting the iceberg as it descended lower and lower. Once the hellfire touched the surface of the lake, the ice evaporated instantly and, instead of being extinguished by the water, the fire mass actually sunk into it as if it were a metal sinker. Under the surface, it took on the form of something gargantuan.

-Just as Victor began to fall toward the water, the form burst through the surface. It was a behemoth great white shark, so massive that it could have easily been classified as a baby Megalodon.

-Victor screamed a guttural cry of terror as he was pulled farther and farther toward a mouth as wide as the hood of a car that was filled with hundreds, maybe thousands, of butcher knives. He closed his eyes, preparing for death. An involuntary response caused Victor to point his arm toward the leviathan as if he were freezing him with his ice-gun.

-Instead of the pain of his body being reduced to a bloody, bony soup, Victor felt only the sudden blow that sent his body flying sideways through the air before he landed in the water. When Victor opened his eyes, he saw that somehow he was in his freeze suit! The problem now was the weight of the suit was too heavy and was now pulling Victor toward the icy depths. Then Victor saw the shark rising, rocketing itself toward him like an intercontinental missile. But as Victor gazed at the great white death approaching him, he saw that a block of ice that had been wedged into its maw forced the inside of its mouth open. Victor's freeze gun had saved his life.

-The shark struck Victor, knocking him clear out of the water and into a narrow tunnel in one of the walls. Victor turned just in time to see the behemoth sailing through the air coming directly for him. He quickly backed away from the tunnel entrance but, just as the goliath beast was about to collide with the icy wall, it once again shifted form in a flash of fire. This time, it took the form of Freddy, himself.

-Freddy gracefully landed right on the edge of the drop-off and stared with murderous eyes at his frightened victim.

-Victor could do nothing but stare frozen in horror, mouth agape, into the eyes of the devil that looked back at him.

-After a while, Freddy smiled sadistically at Victor and placed his gloved hand on the wall beside him.

-"Giving me the cold shoulder, huh Vic? That don't bother me, I've always been a little," Freddy's body ignited into flames just like when he confronted Dick Grayson, "hot under the collar."

-Victor began shivering with absolute terror. He raised his freeze gun. "S-S-Stay back!" he warned. Freddy began walking toward Victor, dragging his claws along the wall and leaving red scorch marks in their wake.

-"Don't come any closer you monster! You demon! You devil!" Freddy quickened his approach and Victor fired a blast of ice at the nightmare creature. However, the second the ice touched Freddy's body, it was vaporized into a cloud of steam.

-Victor began backing away while firing more and more rounds at Freddy, all with the same results. When Freddy started to close to within a few feet of him, Victor screamed and unloaded a hailstorm of ice upon his foe, concealing Freddy within a blanket of red mist. Once the screen of vapor completely obscured Freddy from Victor's eyes, the nightmarish fog began slinking its way toward Victor as if to devour him. Victor turned and began running as fast as he could with the fog close behind.

-As Victor ran, the walls, which were frozen over in ice, would show him a reflection of Nora and then her face would disappear as Freddy's presence caused the ice to melt away. As more and more ice melted, the vapor merged with the cloud, joining in on the hunt for Victor Friez.

-Suddenly, Victor lost his balance and slipped on a puddle of water on the ground. As Victor hit the ground, his snow-globe, which had been stored away inside of a compartment in his suit, popped out of its containment and rolled far away down the tunnel as the cloud of vapor simultaneously transformed into a wave of lava. Victor screamed his last blood-curdling scream of pain as the lava swept over him, drowning him in a river of fire.

-After nearly a full minute had past, Victor's molten arm burst from the lava, followed by his horribly disfigured upper body. Victor should have died immediately, but his freeze suite had actually repelled some of the lava. But this only caused Victor to suffer a fate far worse than what he could have: a few more minutes of life, a few more minutes of agony too excruciating to imagine.

-The lower half of Victor's body was still submerged in the lava, and on his upper body, most of his suit had melted into his skin. There was barely anything left of his face except for one eyeball and a few bits of flesh on one side of his face. Other than that, his face and most of his body had been reduced to an over-cooked mass of red and black crust.

-As Victor feebly tried to use his last bit of energy to climb out of his fiery tomb, he saw his wife casually walk past him and stop in front of a huge door that stood in front of him.

-Nora stopped and slowly turned to her dying husband as the door flew open. Standing on the other side of the door was Freddy, who stood starring at Victor with a triumphant grin. Then, Victor's wish was granted: Nora spoke. She spoke the very words that Victor had prayed day after day, night after night, that he would never hear come from his wife: "Goodbye, Victor."

-Then Nora turned to Freddy, who grabbed her arm and pulled her onto the other side of the door and kissed her deeply as Victor was forced to watch in horror.

-"No!" Victor managed to scream, "Nora! Nora! NORA!" Nora took a hold of the doorknob and the last thing Victor ever heard was the sharp, penetrating sound of Nora slamming the door on him. Then, his quivering body finally stopped moving and Victor's body froze…for the last time.

In the real world, Batman stopped the Bat-mobile on the edge of a patch of woods. He exited his vehicle, walked over to the passenger side, and offered his hand to Ivy. She looked unsure at first, but then she slowly took Batman's hand and he eased her out of the car.

-Batman started walking toward a trail that lead through the woods and motioned Ivy to follow him.

-"Where are you taking me?" She asked. Batman stopped and turned around to face her.

-"25 years ago," he said to her, "I didn't get a chance to say goodbye, either. I want you to have that chance."

-Ivy felt cold run through her body and she hesitated for a moment, but then she slowly walked forward and followed the Dark Knight.

-Once Batman and Ivy cleared the woods, they found themselves in a small pasture with what looked like massive rocks in the distance. As they drew nearer, Ivy gasped as she realized they were tombstones.

-As they got closer and closer to the cemetery, Ivy became more and more wise to what Batman was intending to do and she tried to back away. Batman caught her arm and gently led her onward until they were standing in front of the grave of Harleen Quinzel. Written under Harleen's name was the quote, "_Believe in the Best of Humanity"._

-Ivy felt her throat constricting as the thought of Harley lying under the ground beneath her feet began tearing at her mind and she fought hard to hold back her tears. A part of her still didn't want her best friend to see her cry.

-"Go ahead," Batman said to her, "Say it. Say it now, Ivy."

-Ivy's lip quivered as she said, "Goodbye," then she could fight no longer and began to weep silently.

-Batman put a hand on Ivy's shoulder, "Do you feel better now?"

-Ivy took a moment to dry her eyes and compose herself, then she shook her head.

-"Of course you don't," Batman said, "Saying goodbye means nothing. But I know how you feel. After I lost two of the people closest to my heart, all I could see for years were shattered pieces of a life I thought I would never get back, of chances I thought I would never have again. The pain still hasn't gone away completely, and it probably never will, but I can assure you, it will get better if you allow it."

-Ivy looked at Batman with utter amazement, "I could have told the ones I loved goodbye anytime, but it would have done nothing to ease the pain. What_ has_ eased my pain is cherishing every moment that I was able to spend with them, accepting my tragedy for what it was, and continuing to move forward as I build a new life."

-For the first time, Ivy felt like she finally understood everything Batman had been striving for; everything Dr. Johnson had been striving for. In this moment, she was overcome with feelings she had not felt in years: trust, comfort, and even a small sense of happiness. She gave Batman a tiny smile and a final tear fell from her eye.

-"Batman,"

-"Yes, Ivy."

-"I…want to go back to Arkham. I think I'm finally ready to heal. Will you help me?"

-Batman smiled at her.

A few minutes later, Ivy and Batman were driving down the street in silence. Ivy stared out the window at the half moon in the sky, thinking about the possibilities, both the good and the bad, that may lie ahead for her in her future.

-As Batman continued down the street, the Joker appeared in the road about 40 yards ahead.

-Batman gasped in surprise, but as he drew nearer, he put the thoughts out of his mind. The bastard was dead.

-He gently eased his foot down on the gas and increased his speed.

-The Joker began walking forward with a nightmarish smile as if daring Batman to hit him. Batman was undeterred.

-Just as Batman had anticipated, the second the hood of his car struck the satanic clown, he vanished. Batman continued onward.

-On the sidewalk, a man in a purple suit walked into the road where Batman had "hit" the Joker and watched Batman speed down the street.

-"Damn freaks," he said to himself as if it amused him, "think they own the city." Then the man broke off into maniacal laughter


	29. Chapter 26: Rosebud (Part 1)

_Nightmare in Arkham_

Chapter 26: "Rosebud" (Part 1)

_Inside a dark hallway of a police station, seated on a black wooden bench that was placed directly under a tiny wall-lamp that hung a few inches below the ceiling (which was the only source of light that was offered in this melancholy environment), was a young, solitary eight-year-old boy. A winter cap concealed the boy's face as he sat alone in near darkness. Every so often, a police officer would occasionally walk past the boy without giving him so much as a sideways glance. To the child, these officers might as well have been ghosts, for he wasn't even aware of their presence. Likewise, the child may very well have been a ghost to them, for the boy was completely silent and the only sign of movement from the boy came from the tears that fell like raindrops down his cheeks and from his fingers as they allowed the white pearls of the necklace he held in his hand to slide down the string where they would collide with the one before it. The noise made by this action was only a tiny "bump" that was almost inaudible in the deserted halls but to the boy, each bump sounded like the clash of gunfire._

Batman and Ivy had been riding through the streets for nearly an hour now. There hadn't been much dialogue between the two of them for the majority of the time. Ivy's thoughts continued to drift out the window on days to come, the hardships she was bound to face, and the hopes that she could overcome them. Every so often, Batman would shoot her a sideways glance to see how she holding up. He wanted to say something to her, maybe tell her that he was proud of her or that he truly was sorry for her loss. But he knew she needed the silence. She needed time to collect her thoughts, Lord knows she must have had ten million of them circulating through her mind. They drove past the hospital just as an ambulance sped into the emergency entrance. The ambulance halted and a team of doctors rushed out and unloaded a gurney with Alice Johnson lying motionless on the mattress. Batman and Ivy passed without noticing.

-As they drew nearer to Arkham Island, Batman looked at Ivy and, with his vision nearly completely focused on her, he noticed something tucked away behind her ear.

-"What's that?" He asked Ivy curiously.

-Ivy jumped at the sound of Batman's voice then gave a faint chuckle. "What's what?"

-"Behind your ear."

-Ivy looked confused. She reached behind her ear and her hand found the Poker card that she had placed back in the spot she had found it but was too emotionally stricken to think much of it at the time.

-"Did Harley give that to you?" Batman asked. Even though he had seen the card earlier as well, he didn't think much of it either.

-"No, it was…" Ivy's voice trailed off and a wave of perplexity washed over her, "…It was Dr. Johnson," Ivy finished as if she were questioning her own statement, "She gave me this while I was locked up in a red prison cell."

-Batman looked at Ivy confused, "A red prison cell?"

-"Yeah, I was trapped inside, alone for…oh, I don't even know how long."

-"What happened?"

-"Well, I don't really know. I was in such an emotional stupor and all I remember was the sound of glass breaking, then Dr. Johnson was shouting my name and shaking me. I looked at her, and she had this look in her eyes. It was sort of like the look a mother gives a child when she's trying to clean their wounds, ya know: kind of a mixture of sadness and comfort because they feel helpless knowing they can't rid their child of their pain but they want them to know they're safe in her hands and she loves them?"

-"I see."

-"Anyway, she hands me the card and tells me that Harley actually gave it her but she knew that if Harley were aware of how soon she would…" Ivy stopped for a moment.

-Batman started to realize what had happened. "Ivy?" He said with a bit of urgency in his voice, "What happened then?"

-"Then…all I remember was feeling like I was starting to die, but I didn't really care because a part of me wanted to. And Dr. Johnson started shaking and slapping me while screaming for me to wake up. Then next thing I knew-" Ivy was cut off when Batman abruptly screeched the car to a halt. The inertia caused Ivy's body to jerk forward until it was stopped by her safety belt. The card flew from her hand and landed on the dashboard.

-"Hey, what gives?" Ivy said as she brushed strands of her rose-red hair out of her face. When Ivy cleared the hair from her eyes, the first thing that met her gaze was the flashing of the red and blue lights. They had just crossed the bridge leading to Arkham Island but a thick clutter of police cruisers blocked the entrance and the grounds were crawling with policemen.

-"Wow, I've seen the place swarming with law enforcement but never like this," Ivy said not believing what she was seeing.

-Batman had a bad feeling about what was going on. He told Ivy to stay in the car and before she had a chance to respond, he exited the vehicle and raced toward the asylum leaving Ivy confused and alone.

_After sitting on the bench for what felt like a complete, frozen moment of eternity, a policeman appeared before the child and slowly knelt down to meet the boy's catatonic eyes. The officer was a young man in his late 20s or early 30s. He had dark, orange hair, a pair of glasses, and a neatly trimmed orange mustache. The officer gently placed a hand on the boy's arm._

"_How are you doing, son?" He asked sincerely. The boy did not respond._

_The officer sighed, "I know you don't feel like answering me, God knows if you can even hear me right now, but it's the only way we can catch the man who did this."_

_The boy broke down sobbing. "It's my fault! It's my fault!" the boy cried, "I could have saved them! But I just watched while…while-"_

"_Shhh," the officer whispered while taking a seat on the bench next to the boy and placing an arm around his shoulder, "No son, don't blame yourself for what happened. This wasn't your fault, not at all. It's this damned city. This concrete jungle is infested with predators. But I promise you: we'll find the one that did this. I swear on my daughter's life, justice will be served."_

_The boy didn't pay any attention to the officer's words. And even if he had, they would have done nothing. He knew nothing would bring back Thomas and Martha Wayne; his world was gone._

"_Why? Why did he do it officer?" the boy asked through his tears, "I never even got to say goodbye."_

_The officer was silent as he tried to think of how to answer the child. _

"_I don't know," the officer replied, "but please, call me Jim."_

In Gotham's Medical Center, Jim Gordon's daughter was silent she looked into her father's eyes. She could not believe what he had just told her, but at the same time, she felt like a huge weight had been lifted off her shoulders.

-"So, you knew this whole time?"

-Jim nodded.

-"Why didn't you-"

-"Because I knew you'd quit. I knew every time you would try to seize the opportunity to make a difference in this community, all you would be thinking about is how worried I must be."

-"You shouldn't have to have such a heavy burden hanging over your head, " Barbara said, "especially while you're risking your own life."

-Jim smiled, "But don't you always worry about me when I put myself in danger."

-"Yeah," Barbara replied.

-"So why haven't you ever asked me to stop? Why haven't you ever pleaded that I turn in my badge and gun and maybe get a nice, safe little job at a coffee house?"

-"Because…because, I know that's not who you are. I know it's your passion to protect people."

-"As is yours', Barbara. This is who you are, and I have no right to deny you your call to passion. You're my daughter, but you're not my little girl anymore."

-Barbara was overcome with emotion, so much so that she tried to crawl out of her bed in order to embrace her father…forgetting that her legs were inoperable.

-She slipped on her hands and fell back onto the bed letting out a pained yelp as she felt a jabbing sensation in her lower back.

-Jim rose from his chair almost involuntarily to his daughter's side. Barbara was grimacing in pain and Jim's heart sank when he looked into his daughter's eyes as she was reminded of her paralysis.

-"Take it easy, honey," Jim said with tears in his eyes, "take it easy. I'll get a doctor, they'll bring you some pain killers and-"

-"No," Barbara protested as she gently grabbed her father's arm as it was reaching for the pager, "I don't want to be injected with anything right now. I don't want to risk falling asleep. I want to stay awake."

-Jim began to weep, "Well, what can I do? I don't want you to be in pain."

-"You can stay with me," Barbara said holding her arms out for her father. Jim wrapped his arms around his daughter and held on to her like her life depended on it. She could here him crying silently by her ear.

-"No matter what, I will do everything in my power to get you through this. I love you, Barbara."

-"I love you too, Daddy," Barbara replied returning her father's embrace.

Selina Kyle found herself fighting to stay awake. She didn't know if it was because she was just exhausted or because one of various pain killers the doctor's used on her was beginning to tire her. She slowly reached for the pager next to her bed, grimacing as the cuts on her arm slightly burned from her movement. Finally, her finger reached the button on the side of her white cotton bed and a red light flashed on.

-"Hey," Selina said into the pager, "If anyone can hear me, I could really use a cup of coffee."

-She waited 30 seconds but there was no response. She reached over again. "Hey, is anyone there?" No response. _Great, _Selina thought to herself agitated.

-After another minute Selina's eyes felt like they weighed 20 pounds and she struggled to keep them open. Eventually her eyes fluttered shut. Selina made one last effort to stay awake by mumbling and singing gibberish to herself, thinking that if she could keep herself talking she could at least remain awake while resting her eyes. Suddenly, Selina felt a cold blast of wind on her face followed by a snorting noise.

-She very slowly opened her eyes to the sight of a pair of flaming yellow eyes starring back at her. Selina's eyes shot wide open and she gasped in shock and backed away. The pain on her back and glutes stabbed at her, but Selina tried to ignore it as she continued to back away from whatever was looming over her. Eventually, she found herself cornered against a tree only a few feet from the creature.

-Standing before Selina, like a dog hovering over a fresh piece of road kill, was the Nightmare Horse that Barbara had stolen from the Horseman. Selina watched helplessly as the black beast approached her, it's flaming hooves leaving scorch marks on the earth with every step.

-The horse stopped mere centimeters from Selina's face, its enormous muzzle breathing cold air on her flesh. Selina kept her eyes closed waiting to die, all she felt for over two minutes was the horse's breath and occasionally a drop of spittle as it silently whinnied and snorted in her face. Selina slowly opened her eyes and the flaming gaze of the animal once again burned into her. But the horse did not seem like it was intending to harm her…yet.

-The horse seemed to be investigating her, much like how a dog sniffs someone or something in order to determine if it likes them or not. So far, the beast had not tried to trample her to death, or burn her, or eat her, so Selina considered that a plus.

-The horse leaned in closer to Selina until its lips were nudging against her face. The feeling tickled her and she began to snicker a little bit. She gently raised a hand and gently stroked the horse's snout. The horse moved its head to Selina's arm and began sniffing it. Eventually, it started trailing its way up her arm, sniffing vigorously. As the horse's nose continued to explore Selina's body, she began to notice that the horse seemed to be attracted to the places where her scars resided. Then it finally hit Selina.

-"You smell his scent on me, don't you?" She said with a chuckle. The horse snorted in her face again and then slowly turned so his side was facing Selina. The horse's profile looked like a black shadow with eyes made of fire, but despite the ghastly appearance of the steed, Selina couldn't help but admire how majestic it looked as it towered above her in all its glory. Then, slowly, the horse crouched down until its massive bulk rested on the ground. That's when Selina noticed the saddle on the horse's back.

-_Well that's convenient, _Selina thought, _maybe a little too convenient. _Where was the horse's rider? Was it Freddy in disguise? If it was, then this was a pretty piss poor attempt to look inconspicuous. After a moment of thought, Selina had considered the odds and decided if this was a trap, she was pretty much screwed no matter what: she could either crawl and hobble her way through the nightmare realm until Freddy came after her or she could get on the horse and die anyway.

-_Well, if I'm gonna die, might as well do it while getting back on the horse_, She thought to herself.

-Selina slowly and carefully rose to her feet and approached the horse. It turned and looked at her causing her to stop for a moment. After a second or two, she approached again while it was still looking at her seeing how it would react.

-"Just take it easy big fella, I'm not going to hurt you." The horse remained calm. It even seemed to be confused as to why its master had not already saddled up.

-Selina gently stroked the horse's neck as she climbed on its back to make sure it knew she meant it no harm and when she was finally sitting firmly in place, the horse rose to its feet. Then suddenly, Selina noticed something strange happening around her body.

-Something was starting to materialize over her and before she had time to panic, her costume appeared on her body. The suite was still shredded but was still strong, as it was made from material that was designed to withstand rips and tears even as severe as the ones Freddy had inflicted. The dry blood that had been collected in her bandages showed through the tears like the markings on a wild cat. It looked gruesome, but surprisingly it wasn't as painful as Selina would have imagined, she even thought it looked kind of cool.

-Now feeling less vulnerable, Catwoman smiled as she turned to the horse.

-"Alright big fella, lead the way," She said. And with that the horse let out a satisfied "neigh" and began trotting through the dark woods.

In the waking world, Poison Ivy sat silently in the Bat-mobile. Now alone, she began to feel a sense of uneasiness. She had spent a long time alone with her thoughts tearing at her and now, without Batman's company, they seemed to be clawing at her again. She was also starting to wonder how Dr. Leland would react when Ivy walked through the door. Would she even want to help her? Would Batman be able to speak up for her and convince Dr. Leland that Ivy was ready to open up? Eventually, Ivy's thoughts and the irritating flicker of the police lights in her eyes began to drive her crazy. She tucked the Poker card into the breast pocket of her red button-down shirt and stepped out of the car, making her way toward the asylum.

-As Ivy began to walk past the parked police cruisers, she heard a loud _click _that made her stop in her tracks. _"That's as far as you go, murderer," _a gruff, male voice said from behind her. Ivy turned around to see Harvey Bullock standing almost within arm's reach of her with a pistol aimed right at her head. Ivy's eyes filled with fear.

-"Now, take it easy-"

-"Play time's over freak," Bullock interrupted, "You've got a lotta debt and a lotta lives to pay the city,"

-Ivy felt a cold stab in her chest, "I…I know, that's why-"

-"Shut it," Bullock ordered, "Hands on your head, down on your knees, now."

-Ivy was scared. This wasn't the first time she'd been confronted by Bullock but this was certainly the first time she saw him without half of his mind thinking about food and completely fixed on taking her down. And the look in his eyes, a burning glare like a cowboy confronting his rival in the town square, told Ivy she probably wouldn't be able to rely on any of her mind games this time.

-As Ivy stood frozen in place, Bullock lost his patience. He jerked his hand toward ground and fired his gun just a few inches away from Ivy's foot. Ivy gasped in shock and flattered backward.

-"I said _now!"_

-When Ivy regained her balance, her "fight/flight" instincts took over and she began to run.

-Bullock grabbed Ivy by her arm and tried to force her onto the ground. Ivy struggled and cried for help. In the hectic struggle, Bullock lost control of his rational thinking and, in moment of rage, took out a baton and struck Ivy up of the side of her head.

-Ivy staggered a few steps before falling to the ground; a trickle of blood ran down the side of her head.

-At the sight of the blood, Bullock sobered and he froze in place, letting out a startled gasp. He didn't realize how hard he had struck the plant woman.

-Dizzy but still conscious, Ivy staggered onto her feet and began running as fast as she could away from the asylum and toward the city.

-Bullock didn't chase after her. Instead, he looked at his baton and saw a small, algae green stain on the tip.

-"Shit!" he cursed himself, then, he ran toward the asylum.

Ivy had ran across the bridge connecting Arkham Island to the mainland. Her vision was shaky, her head felt dizzy, and her motor coordination was becoming increasingly difficult to control. She also found herself feeling extreme sensitivity to light and sound: the street lights burned her vision like the sun and the sound of the cars honking on the road rang in her ear like a jack-hammer causing intense headaches.

-There was no contradiction that Ivy had a concussion. She knew she had to get to a hospital quickly or she would pass out. Although Ivy was disoriented, she could still see clearly enough to where she was able to retain her sense of direction. Gotham's Medical Center was nearly a mile away and Ivy knew she didn't have much time. She sprinted as fast as her weak legs would carry her through the streets of Gotham.

-As Ivy trudged deeper and deeper in the concrete jungle of Gotham City, her mind seemed to slip in and out of an illusion of Ivy running through a dark forest. She would hear the howls and screeching of animals before her vision would cut back to the city and she would see people running and screaming in fear. She would bump into a tree and then awaken to the sight of a street light or wire post. Ivy paused to get her bearings. Through her double vision, she could just make out a few yards of sidewalk stretching farther into the city and the lights of the hospital in the far distance. Ivy took a deep breath and sprinted toward the street. Before she could cross the street, however, a black mustang screeched to a halt in front of her path and she slammed into the side of the car.

In the dream world, the black horse reared up on its hind legs _neighing _wildly and kicking its front legs through the air as if it were under attack. Catwoman was thrown from the horse's back and she landed hard on the dirt trail letting out a pained yelp as the impact sent a shockwave of pain through her scars. The horse touched back on the ground and fled into the woods with the speed of a burning star racing across the sky.

-Catwoman slowly eased herself up on her elbow and she saw Poison Ivy cowering on the ground. Her face was buried in her knees and her hands were covering the back of her neck. She looked like an armadillo rolled up in ball trying to hide from a vicious puma.

-"Ivy?" Catwoman said with a startled voice. Ivy shot her head up at the sound of the voice and was shocked to see Catwoman lying right beside her.

-"Selina? What…what are you doing here?"

-"It's a long story," Catwoman said trying to stand. The pain from being thrown off the horse was still riding through Catwoman's body and she grimaced as she tried to stand.

-Suddenly, Ivy's shadow loomed over her. Catwoman shot her head up and saw Ivy towering above her with what looked like a scowl on her face. Catwoman was in a fragile state and the last thing she wanted was Ivy's wrath.

-"Alright, look," Catwoman said, "I'm sorry about the whole leaving you in Arkham trick. It was a lousy trick and I swear I will make it up to you. But right now, there are much bigger problems that you and I are in the middle of so -" Ivy held a hand out to Catwoman.

-"Just forget about it, Selina."

-Catwoman was astonished, "You mean, you're not going to try and kill me?"

-Ivy shook her head. "There's been too much death already. I just want to move on from it all."

-Catwoman looked at Ivy, scanning for any traces of deception in her eyes. Catwoman could read people like a book and she was usually a pro at determining when someone was about to stab her in the back. But Ivy was either the best actress Selina ever met, or she was completely serious, because there was not a trace of resentment or deviance in her eyes. She reached up and took Ivy's hand and Ivy eased Catwoman to her feet.

-When Catwoman was on her feet, she gave Ivy a solemn look and said, "I'm sorry about Harley. I really am."

-Ivy smiled at Catwoman and drew her in for an embrace. Catwoman flinched in pain.

-"Ow, ow, ow, be careful, be careful," she whisper yelled.

-Ivy was startled, then, she looked at Catwoman and finally realized the strange patterns she saw on her costume were multiple bleeding wounds.

-"Jesus!" Ivy said dumbfounded, "What…how…when did this happen?"

-"Ivy," Catwoman said with a suddenly serious tone. Ivy looked in her eyes and saw a cold look of fear and intensity in them. "The Joker didn't kill her," Ivy was silent for a moment.

-"What?"

-"The Joker didn't kill Harley. The man who killed her is the same one who did this to me."

-"Who was it?" Ivy asked with the sound of anger starting to surface.

-"A man named Freddy," Catwoman answered, "And he didn't just kill Harley. He killed _everyone: _Scarecrow, Mad Hatter, it was all him."

-Ivy was about to answer when the sound of a familiar voice silenced her.

-"_Puddin?" _The two fem-fatales froze in place, "_Puddin, please answer me."_

_-_Catwoman looked at Ivy and saw the look of false hope in her eyes.

-"It's her."

-Catwoman shook her head, "Ivy, no. Please listen to me. That isn't Harley. You have to list-"

-Ivy moved Catwoman aside and began racing in the direction of the voice.

-"Ivy, don't go! It's a trap!" Catwoman tried to run after her but the pain was too excruciating. "Son-of-a-bitch!" She swore to herself as she staggered after her friend.

In the real world Batman was examining the disemboweled, impaled, and charred corpses of Killer Croc, Penguin, and Mr. Freeze. Dr. Leland was curled up in a chair wide-eyed and shaking like someone who had just drank a large up of coffee and washed it down with an entire can of _**Monster**_. Next to her was an ashtray piled with over a dozen cigarettes that sat next to an empty pack, and she was puffing away on her last one.

-Batman turned to the doctor and when he called her name she jumped, letting out a startled scream.

-Batman walked over to her and asked, "Where is Dr. Johnson?"

-Before Dr. Leland could answer, Bullock ran into the room panting.

-"Poison Ivy…she…I tried to…and she…and then-"

-All eyes turned to Bullock.

-"You caught Poison Ivy?" Dr. Leland asked with a touch of hopefulness.

-"Well…not exactly-"

-"I brought Ivy here," Batman explained, "She was going to turn herself in," he turned his gaze toward Dr. Leland, "She realized the mistake she made and wanted to come back, to turn her life around."

-Dr. Leland gave a light scoff, "So, where is she?"

-"Runnin downtown with a gash up the side of her head," Bullock replied sounding embarrassed. His tone then turned defensive, "I thought she was still on the loose and I tried to bring her in! I thought she was tryin to make a run for it, I didn't realize I hit her that hard! Hell, I wasn't even aiming for head, I thought maybe a good slug to the shoulder or somethin would slow her down or-"

-"Or you could have came and got me!" Batman retorted angrily. Before Bullock could say anything else, Batman stormed past him nearly knocking him to the ground and rushed outside of the asylum. Dr. Leland ran after him.

-Just as Batman pushed the front doors open, his communicator gave off a "_buzz"_.

-"Yeah," Batman answered.

-"_It's Robin, you need to get down to the hospital right now."_

-"What's wrong?"

-"_Someone just dropped Poison Ivy off at the main entrance. It looks like she suffered a concussion and she blacked out."_

-"Alright, I'm on my way."

-"_Oh, and I thought you might also want to know, Dr. Johnson, ya know, the Arkham doctor, she was just brought in as well. She's unconscious, too. They're saying she tried to O.D on sleeping meds."_

-Batman's eyes widened, _Oh sweet Jesus! She went in alone? _He thought to himself. "Alright, I'm coming right now." Batman signed off.

-_"I'm going with you," _Said a voice from behind Batman. He turned around and saw Dr. Leland standing in the doorway.

-"No, this situation is far out of your control. Besides, they need you here."

-"God dammit! What good am I here? I don't know _anything _about what's been going on but Alice does, I know it! And if this situation is taking the lives of my patients then it's my responsibility to _get _it under my control."

-"Then go wake up the ones who are still alive."

-Dr. Leland looked confused, "What?"

-"It's the dreams. The dreams are what's killing your patients."

-"What…that's nuts. How could dreams be-"

-"Listen, it's a long story that's going to take time that we probably do not have. Wake up the remaining patients and when I get back, I will do everything I can to end this once and for all."

-Dr. Leland looked at Batman silently for a moment. Despite how absurd the explanation to the recent deaths sounded, she could see in Batman's eyes that he was serious. She slowly nodded her head and went back inside and Batman hopped into his vehicle and took off down the road.

Within the dream world, Ivy rushed through the dark forest now almost completely out of breath. She could still hear the calls of Harley's voice in the distance.

-"_Please! Puddin? Someone please answer me!"_

_-_"Hold on, Harley! Red's coming!"

-"_Red?"_

-Ivy froze in her tracks. Hearing her friend say her name again brought a feeling of warmth to her chest. She was nearly shedding tears.

-"Yes! Yes, it's Red! I'm coming for you! Just stay where you are!"

-Ivy raced faster, and faster, until she came to a clutter of vines and burst through them like a bullet…and found herself standing in her freshly restored Eden.

-For a long time, Ivy stood with her eyes wide and mouth agape at her surroundings. Everything was just the way it was before, even the massive _Elm _tree that was the memorial to her children.

-"This is impossible…how can this be?" Ivy took a few steps into her home, feeling the grass under her feet with every step. Then, as she drew closer to a red and green colored leaf, she placed a gentle hand on it and brought it to her face, feeling its life on her cheek. She truly was home.

-Completely lost in her joy, she ran toward the edge of a small hillside and flung herself over the edge, rolling in the fields of grass and laughing like a child on a spring morning. When she reached the bottom, she found herself under the elm tree next to the message she had spelled out for her children. She moved her head to the left, and sitting beside her in the grass was a bright yellow rosebud. Ivy looked at the flower with a wide smile, and she imagined her daughter, Rosie, lying next to her in the flower's place.

-"Mother Nature, you've come home!" the child said with joy.

-Ivy took the child's imaginary hand and said softly with a tear running from her eye, "Yes, I'm home. And I won't ever leave you alone again."


	30. Chapter 26: Rosebud (Part 2)

_Nightmare in Arkham_

Chapter 26: "Rosebud" (Part 2)

-Poison Ivy lay back in her room, this time with the window bolted shut and her arms strapped to the sides of her bed. Her head was wrapped in bandages and, although she was once again unconscious, it was clear she was not in a coma, as she was breathing normally and even gave a slight grunt or snort as she lay in her dazed sleep.

-Dick and Dr. Thompkins were standing outside of the room peering in at the sleeping plant woman. A doctor stood beside them.

-"Don't you two worry: we've taken extra precautions to make sure that animal stays in her cage this time."

-"Who brought her in?" Dick asked curiously.

-"We don't really know for sure. It was a man in purple suit driving a black mustang."

-Dick raised his eyebrows, "A guy in a purple suit?"

-"Yeah, I guess he was some kind of businessman. I remember he had a really charming smile."

Within Ivy's dream, she lay in the field without a care in the world. Her joy had almost put her into a second dream state. She remained completely unaware of the claw that was gripping the branch of the elm tree just slightly out of her vision.

-Freddy chuckled to himself before looking up. Right above Freddy's head was hole in the roof of the cavern with an ugly face peering down. The Emperor Penguin stood beside the hole waiting for further instructions from the only person he would call "boss".

-"Fire in the hole," Freddy said. Even though he spoke only loud enough for himself to hear his words, the Emperor gave a wide, disgusting smile before taking one puff from his cigar and dropping it into the hole where it landed in the branches of the elm tree.

-As Ivy continued to lie in the grass, the scent of smoke filled the air. Then came tiny crackling noises that quickly turned into the sound of a roaring blaze. Ivy opened her eyes and saw that the beautiful, flower garnished crown of her memorial tree was now a massive Afro of raging fire.

-Ivy jolted to her feet, narrowly avoiding some flame-covered debris that fell to the ground where her head was just resting.

-The moment the flames fell to the ground they instantly began to spread, like snakes slithering after prey, and engulfed everything in their path.

-Ivy's fearful eyes spotted the rosebud on the ground, still alive and untouched by the hell that had entered her Eden. She instinctively made a quit grab for the flower, plucked it from the ground, and made a run for the exit.

-She could see the vine door less than 30 feet away and the flames had not taken it yet. Ivy sprinted with all her might with the rosebud tucked away in her bosom. However, just as her hand was about to touch the vines, a voice called out. _"Red?" _

-"Harley," Ivy uttered to herself under her breath. "Harley, where are you?!"

-Completely ignoring the danger, Ivy darted into the opposite direction allowing her only way out to be taken by the fire. Ivy ran through the inferno following the sound of her friend's voice until she came to a clearing, and standing just ahead of her was a woman with long black and red hair tied up into two pigtails.

-Ivy smiled with pure delight, despite the destruction that surrounded her, and raced over to wrap her arms around her friend. But as she made it half way across the clearing, her foot sank into the ground.

-Ivy nearly fell flat on her face but she caught her balance in mid fall and placed her other foot on the ground, which also became consumed in the mire. Ivy tried desperately to free herself but only managed to sink deeper until she was submerged to her waist in the ground. Then the woman turned, and Ivy's face turned white as a ghost.

-The Bridesmaid smelled Ivy's fear and licked her bloody lips as she moved in for her feast. She stepped over the ground that had consumed Ivy as if it were rock solid and she began sniffing through Ivy's hair. Ivy could only close her eyes and whimper, pleading to herself to wake up from this nightmare.

-This, of course, strengthened Ivy's fear and excited the Bridesmaid further. And, to make matters worse, the scent of Ivy's fear lingered with her natural scent (a mixture of vanilla and peaches), and the Bridesmaid ran her tongue down Ivy's neck as she had done to Robin. But instead being killed by the poison that ran through Ivy's skin, the taste seemed to please the Bridesmaid and she sank her teeth into the crook of Ivy's neck causing her to scream in agony.

-As algae blood gushed down Ivy's shoulder, the reflection of Ivy's best friend blindly moved her hand to Ivy's chest and found the flower. The creature stopped feeding on Ivy, took the flower out of her bosom, and studied it while Ivy was left crying and pressing her trembling hand down on her bite mark.

-As the monster studied the flower for a few moments with her enhanced sense of touch, it said to itself, "A rosebud."

-_"Little pig, little pig, come to Daddy," _Said a male voice and the Bridesmaid smiled with joy at the familiar sound of her master's voice.

-"PUDDIN!" The monster squealed. Ivy shot her eyes open and turned in the direction of the voice. Freddy was standing against a burning tree with his ungloved hand pressed firmly against the raging fire, yet it didn't seem to be bothering him in the least.

-The Bridesmaid ran up to him, smiling the whole way, and when she stopped in front of him, she presented him with the rosebud. Freddy stared at his female minion then at the flower. Then he gave a wicked smirk.

-"Aw, how sweet." Freddy swiped the flower away with his claw and grabbed the Bridesmaid by her chin and starred straight into her beady eyes.

-"You ugly little shit," Freddy gently brushed a strand of hair out of the creature's face, "Now there's a face…" He turned to Ivy with a sadistic smile. With one mighty swing, Freddy hurled the Bridesmaid through the air and she landed right in front of Ivy, so close that their faces were practically touching, "…ONLY A MOTHER COULD LOVE!"

-Ivy screamed in terror as she began to sink father into the ground until only the top of her head and one flailing arm remained on the surface. Then Freddy's foot pressed down on her head and pushed Ivy into the ground and out sight. Freddy threw his head back, threw his arms out, and released a horrific victory laugh as the fire danced around him.

-The Bridesmaid sat on her knees whimpering with her arms wrapped around her chest. Freddy looked down on her and gentle ran his bladed fingers through her hair. The Bridesmaid smiled and leaned her head against Freddy's leg like a dog.

-"_Good _little bitch," Freddy said with a smirk.

Ivy was expecting to die. Instead, she landed on the ground in a dark passageway. Her head struck the ground hard and she lifted it while moaning and rubbing it. When Ivy's vision adjusted, she saw something lying beside her on the ground. In the miniscule light, she could just barely make out the image of Victor's snow-globe, still intact expect for a tiny fracture that looked as if it were slicing right through the woman inside and cutting her in half. When Ivy looked up from the snow-globe, she was face to face with a skeleton.

-She shrieked in horror and jumped back, right into another hanging corpse. After Ivy repeated the same process two more times, an eerie blue light ignited and lit up her surroundings, and Ivy found herself in the forest of dead children.

-Ivy tried to scream but was hindered by a gagging choke. Then she felt bile rising and churning in her stomach. She threw up in her mouth but forced it back down as she fell to her knees. Ivy looked up, and hanging by a meat hook just a few feet away from her was the corpse of a little girl who looked as if she were sleeping peacefully…but her entire body, except for the face, had been flayed.

-Ivy's throat felt like a mixture of fear, anguish, and disgust was strangling it. She felt hot tears pouring from her eyes and a sob escaped her lips. She placed both her hands over her mouth and nose and let out a horrid scream.

-_"My, my," _Freddy's voice sounded. Ivy shot her eyes forward and saw Freddy's dark figure approaching, "I'm aware it's no Garden of Eden, but I didn't think it was _that _bad."

-Ivy rose to her feet, her eyes were bulging with anger and fright. "H-H-How could you? Why would you do this?" Ivy said through her tears.

-Freddy ran his claws down the body of the flayed girl, covering his knives in her blood for a second time, "Well, as I'm sure you must know, sometimes you have to prune back hard in order to make something flourish."

-"They were…children," then her tone grew angrier, "How many? How many innocent lives have you taken?"

-"Innocent?" Freddy said, "Not that many, recently."

-"You're an inhuman monster!" Ivy spat as she started to go into fight mode.

-Freddy stopped in the middle of his forest of children making his face visible. Then he gave Ivy a cold smirk that made her back away in fright.

-"You're one to talk," Freddy said with a Kubrick stare. Ivy felt uneasy and she quivered as the dream stalker's gaze bored into her.

-Behind Ivy, a bright green illumination lit up and when Ivy turned around, she screamed a guttural cry of absolute horror.

-Lying strew about in piles like sandbags were the lifeless bodies of Ivy's children. All of them were horribly discolored, some of the corpses had veins that were pitch black and visible on their entire body, the eyes of the ones who had them open looked like glassy marbles, but most shocking of all, each one of them had some sort of spore or fungus growing out of their mouth, eyes, head, or some other extremity.

-"Your body count is even larger than mine, _Miss Poison Kiss," _And it was.

-Tears began racing down Ivy's cheeks. "No. No! I didn't mean to…"

-"_But you did," _Said the raspy voice of one of the children, "_You killed us. You killed all of us."_

-The children all rose to their feet like a horde of zombies and began shuffling toward their former mother, their eyes glaring accusingly at Ivy.

-"I loved all of you!" Ivy cried out, "I still love you!"

-_"Oh, is that right," _Spat a female voice. Ivy looked down at the snow-globe and the woman inside began to glow into beam of light. Then, the light shot out of the globe and took on Harley's image. Ivy gasped.

\- "Then why did you hurt me?" She demanded angrily.

-Before Ivy could answer, Harley pushed her back and began walking toward her, forcing Ivy to walk backwards.

-"Why did you tear me away from my best friend? Why weren't you there when I needed you? Why did you push me away? Why did you leave me to die?"

-"I'm sorry, Harley!" Ivy sobbed.

-"That's not good enough!" Harley screamed. She then slapped Ivy across the face and sent her tumbling backward. But instead of falling to the ground, Ivy plunged, screaming into a dark void of emptiness. Then, she felt a hard impact followed by a loud shattering noise as she broke through the glass cycling of a greenhouse.

-Her body smacked down on the stone walkway and she could hear the sound of glass breaking as the shards rained down around her. Then she felt something plop onto her stomach that weighed a bit more than glass. It was the snow-globe, and the blonde woman was back inside. The white flitter inside the globe flew and danced around the woman while she stood with her hands up as if she were welcoming the winter wonderland she had been artificially placed in. When the snow settled, one of the double doors burst open and Freddy stepped inside. He slowly walked over to Ivy, who lay rooted to the ground in fear.

-When he came within arm's reach of her, he said to her, "Ya know, if you really miss her that bad, I can easily fix that. I know she misses you…" Freddy lifted his sweater and Ivy's jaw dropped as she gazed at the faces sticking out of Freddy's crimson red body. "She's all alone in the red zone," Freddy lowered his sweater, "And nothing goes better with red than _green," _Then he knelt down beside Ivy and said malevolently, "And in my mind, it's beginning to look a lot like Christmas."

-In that moment, just like how the sudden realization that Harley was gone had slowly bubbled to the surface of Ivy's mind and turned her rage into sadness, so now did the realization that the man who took her best friend from her was mere inches from her, looking her dead in the eyes. And then Ivy's fear turned to rage.

-Freddy was startled when he saw Ivy's eyes fill with hate, her face turn from emerald green to boiling red, and her silence turn to into a teeth bearing growl. Ivy grabbed one of the glass shards that lay beside her and rammed into the side of Freddy's head, causing him to reel back in pain.

-As Freddy was trying to rip the glass shard out of his face, Ivy shot to her feet and charged Freddy, clamping her hands around his throat and ramming him into a cactus plant. Then, she grabbed Freddy's arm and forced him to his feet before flinging him out of the open doors where he went tumbling down a large flight of stone stairs that lead outside into what appeared to be a sort of botanical garden. When Ivy stepped outside and saw all the plants in the vicinity, she got a wicked idea.

-While Freddy was slowly getting back on his feet, he felt something wrap around his ankle. A massive root erupted out the ground and held Freddy high in the air. Then, like a conductor at an orchestra, Ivy waved her hands and fingers through the air, motioning the plant, and the plant obeyed. For five minutes straight, Ivy conducted the root to slam Freddy into stonewalls, rake him through thorns and pampas grass, and to drag him across the hard, rocky parts of the ground before bashing him into it. Then she ordered the root to bring him forward.

-The root delivered the horribly battered and broken, but still alive, Freddy in front of Ivy and dangled him upside down by his ankle. Freddy slowly opened his eyes, groaning in pain. Ivy grabbed Freddy's head with such force that tips of her fingernails sank into Freddy's flesh.

-"Rosebud, mother-fucker!" She spat in angry triumph. Then she mashed her lips into Freddy's and kissed him deeply, flooding his body with poison. By the time she was finished, Freddy's body was filled with so many toxins that his skin had turned as green as Ivy's. Then, Ivy looked at the root and pointed her finger down.

-The root casually dropped Freddy's broken body at Ivy's feet and she gave it a good kick that sent Freddy skidding down the stairs. Ivy then descended the staircase and looked down with contempt on her fallen adversary.

-Then suddenly, Freddy's head shot up and he belched out a massive cloud of green fumes. Ivy, herself, was immune to the toxicity within the cloud but not the gashouse odor that choked her or the fumes that blinded her.

-Ivy shut her eyes and covered her mouth as she went into a coughing fit. Eventually the fumes cleared and Ivy opened her eyes. But now, she found herself within the dark woods of Robinson Park.

-"_BLAH!" _A voice spat. Ivy turned and was dumbfounded to see Freddy, not only alive, but completely healed. "You kiss your children with that mouth?" Ivy choked on her words. "Ya see, this is why I'm the one who handles one-liners and movie references. Christ, that was so bad I think you gave me indigestion!"

-Ivy tried to run but, as she was turning, she tripped over a root and fell to the ground. Freddy pounced on her and held her down, his left hand gripping Ivy's throat. Ivy struggled and whimpered and tried to scream but to no avail.

-"What are you crying about," Freddy asked as he slowly began sliding his blades up Ivy's legs, "I haven't even cut you yet."

-Ivy squeezed her eyes shut, praying to die quickly. When she opened her eyes, she caught sight of a figure inching its way closer to them. In the light of the moon, the figure revealed itself as Catwoman. In one of her hands, she was clutching a long stick that had been sharpened into a javelin. She was holding it up like a hunter sneaking up on a sleeping deer. Ivy's eyes gleamed with hope and she almost let out a joyful gasp but Catwoman silenced her with a finger to her lips as she inched closer and closer.

*In the real world, a doctor walked into Selina Kyle's room. "Hey hon, sorry it took so long. Things have been kinda hectic these past few hours. But here's your coffee right-" She looked up at Selina and saw she was asleep. She smiled at her and walked over to place the coffee on a table beside Selina's bed.

*In the dream world, Freddy's claws were now sliding along Ivy's abdomen. He was none the wiser about the sneak attack coming from behind. Catwoman stopped and positioned the spear so that it was pointing directly at the back of Freddy's head. Freddy gave Ivy a deathly smile as he slowly inched his claws off to the side…Catwoman thrust her spear at her target. At the exact same time, Freddy jabbed his claws into the ground.

*In the real world, Selina Kyle's stomach burst open, spraying a thick patch of blood into the face of the doctor by her bed.

*In the dream world, the spear fell from Catwoman's hand as she gasped in excruciating agony. She had been skewered through her abdomen and out of her back by four metal spikes that shot out of the ground almost directly below her.

-Ivy's screams split the night as Freddy retracted his claws. As Catwoman was falling forward, Freddy shot to his feet and caught her by the neck.

-"I thought I smelled a putty cat," He said with an evil grin. Catwoman grunted and choked and twitched in pain as her body began to grow weaker and weaker. Freddy lifted Catwoman into the air by her neck. With the last of her strength, Catwoman tossed something toward Ivy and it landed just beside her as she sat frozen in horror. Ivy quickly jolted her head to the side and snatched it up. It was a pair of car keys with a nametag that said "Rose Bud". Ivy shot her eyes back to her dying friend.

-With blood starting to pour from her mouth, Catwoman managed to feebly choke out, "Get the hell out of here, Ivy."

-With his gloved hand, Freddy summoned a massive furnace out of the ground. The door opened and flames spewed out like the gates of Hell opening. Freddy then stabbed his claws back into Catwoman's body and hurled her into the flames.

-"NOOO!" Ivy screamed. She was on her feet in milliseconds and sprinting toward Catwoman as she burned alive. Just as Ivy drew near, Freddy brought up his gloved hand and, with a sadistic leer, he waved farewell with his knives.

-Catwoman had managed to extend her left hand out and the second Ivy grabbed it, the door to the furnace slammed shut and Catwoman's arm was severed at the shoulder, a mass of flames still burned on the stump. A white light escape from the furnace and raced directly toward Freddy and zapped into his body causing him to smile in pure delight. The furnace then vanished as quickly as it had appeared.

-Ivy dropped the still twitching arm and fell on her back. She staggered onto her belly just as a rush of vomit erupted from her mouth.

-Freddy walked over to the arm and picked it up. He then took the burning end and pressed it against a tree, setting the whole thing up in flames. He turned to Ivy and said in Catwoman's voice, "_A lion needs two claws to catch its prey."_

In the real world, Batman had arrived at the hospital and the moment he walked through the doors, he saw that the whole place had spread into a chaotic frenzy. There were doctors running and yelling and patients running out of a hallway screaming in terror. The fire alarm was blaring throughout the building and outside Batman could see people leaping out of one and two story windows and running through the streets.

-"_BATMAN!" _A voice shouted. Batman turned and saw Dick racing toward him. When he stopped in front of him, Batman saw tears pouring from his eyes.

In the dream world, Freddy stuck his entire left arm into the blazing inferno and when he retracted it, it had been completely incinerated. Then Freddy took Catwoman's arm and stuck it onto his charred stump. The flames on Catwoman's arm fused the arm to Freddy's body, then the flames shot all the way up the arm and when they receded, Freddy's arm had not only been completely restored, but it now had a second claw fastened to it that was an exact replica of his right claw.

-Freddy turned his attention back to Poison Ivy and slowly began walking toward her. Ivy backed up against a tree, involuntarily clutching the snow-globe, which she had completely forgotten she was still holding onto.

In the real world, Batman burst through the door of Selina's room and was instantly slammed with a sight that was so horrifically overwhelming that his heart stopped completely and he did not make any sudden moves for nearly a whole 20 seconds.

Selina Kyle's body was completely engulfed in flames that had already consumed the entire bed that lay underneath her. The screams of the people running for their lives in the hall, the scent of burning flesh and debris, and feeling of hell laughing in his face, all became muted. All that remained tangible to the Dark Knight was the feeling of his heart being ripped out of his chest.

In the dream world, as Freddy slowly walked toward Ivy, his figure was completely blackened by the background of the fire that burned behind him. But every so often, a glimmer from the flames would reveal his satanic smile to Ivy.

-Sobbing and breathing hysterically, Ivy whispered with the snow-globe pressed against her heart like a cross, "Please God…"

-In response, Freddy folded his arms over his chest. With his body darkened into a silhouette by the fiery background, the claws on his fingers, which jutted past the rest of his frame, looked like spikes sticking out of the arms and shoulders of a Hell creature that had ascended from the Pit to claim the soul of a damned mortal. As he did this, he demonically proclaimed, "_This, _is God."

-Every muscle, every nerve, every sense, every fiber of Ivy's being seized up and her body was stone still. As if in slow motion, the snow-globe fell from her hand and shattered into a million pieces. The sound echoed through the woods.

_At the police station, Jim noticed a figure standing beside him and the child. It was a young gentleman with short black hair surrounding a shiny, bald cranium, a black mustache, and a butler's uniform. _

"_Mr. Pennyworth?" Jim asked. At the mention of that name, the child slowly raised his head to meet the man's eyes. Alfred threw himself down on his knees and embraced the boy._

"_Oh Master Bruce, I'm so sorry!" Alfred exclaimed sounding like he was trying to hold back tears, "I know I can never replace them. But I promise, I will never leave your side. And remember what I've always told you: the night is always darkest just before the dawn." After Alfred's statement, Bruce opened his eyes, which now, despite the tears, burned with a freshly ignited determination. _

Batman's eyes darkened with a familiar feeling of devastation that he had not felt in years. As he watched the body of his beloved burn away before his eyes, he sank to the ground, crying just as he had 25 years ago.

-The Joker's hand patted him on the head.

-"There, there, Brucie," He said with a smile, "Look on the bright side: at least you still have your sanity."


	31. Chapter 27: Judge

_Nightmare in Arkham_

Chapter 27: "Judge"

-The rubber bag containing Selina Kyle's seared corpse was zipped up, placed in a black hearse, and wheeled away as a massive crowd of reporters, shaken patients, hospital staff, police officers, crying children, and curious pedestrians gathered in front of the hospital in a frenzy of shouting, crying, pushing, shoving, and panic. The only silent people in the crowd were Commissioner Gordon and Dick Grayson. The two walked straight through the crowd of news reporters without a single word or acknowledgement as they shoved microphones and cameras in the Commissioner's face and bombarded him with questions about the safety of the hospital and whether or not this was an isolated incident or if there was a connection linking all of the recent deaths. He got into his car, waited for Dick to get in on the passenger side and drove away to bring Dick back home. As he was passing the hospital, he glanced out his window and looked up at the roof where he could see a dark figure sitting alone.

-Jim sighed. "God, I hope he'll be okay," he murmured

-"He will be," Dick said, "It takes time, but even the death of a loved one is something you can move past. I know from experience." Jim nodded and Dick wished he felt as confident about his words as Bruce did when he first took him in.

Batman sat alone on the hospital roof gazing down at the pandemonium. He looked like a stone gargoyle sitting atop a cathedral. He felt as if a serpent were moving inside of him. He could here it rattling inside of his brain, slithering inside of his chest and constricting his heart, and hissing in his ears.

-"Lovely view," the Joker said to Batman as he looked down on the chaos like he was looking at New York from the top of the Empire State Building. Batman said nothing.

-"Oh come now Bats, lighten up. She was bound to run out of lives sooner or later. Hell, I've lost the only one I ever had and you don't see me getting all stone-faced." Still, Batman said nothing.

-The Joker gave a glum sigh. Then he smiled like he had suddenly been struck by an idea. "_Boink", _the Joker playfully cooed as he poked the side of Batman's head, "_Boink, Boink, Boink, Boink, Boink," _Every time the Joker poked Batman, it felt as if the snake inside of him was sinking its fangs into his brain. He could feel the venom coursing through his veins, shutting his mind and body off from reality. His thoughts began to blur, his vision narrowed, and his blood raced and burned with toxicity that could only be neutralized with one thing: vengeance.

-"Come on, humor me a little," Joker said in a cheerful voice, "Ya know what they say: a laugh a day keeps the gloom away." Batman still said nothing, but he did ball his hands into fists.

-Seeing that he finally got a reaction out of the Dark Knight, the Joker pressed further. "Okay, how's about a joke? I know you weren't a huge fan of my jokes in the past but I've recently come up with a few that will even have Selina rolling in her grave with laughter!" Now Batman's body was starting to quiver with rage.

-"So, why did the cat cross the road...To get some fried chicken! How are fish like burning cats…they both need water lest they die!" Batman slowly and mechanically turned his head toward the Joker. "So a bat and a cat both walk into a bar-"

-Batman grabbed the Joker by the throat and slammed his fist into his gut. He then hurled the Joker on the ground, lept on top of him and repeatedly plowed his fists into the Joker's face with such force that the ground began to crack. When Batman finally ceased, there was nothing but the battered concrete beneath him. Then Batman heard a whistle from behind him. He turned around and saw the Joker standing behind him.

-"Missed me!" the Joker said, then he ran over to the edge of the building while mimicking the Three Stooges: "WOBOOBOOBOOOBOOOBOOO!"

-Batman let out an angry, almost feral cry of rage before charging his nemesis like an enraged bull. The Joker casually stepped over the edge of the building as if he were simply falling into a swimming pool. Batman lunged over the side of the building, but not with the intent of saving the Joker. Batman didn't care whether or not he was chasing a ghost, all his boiling mind knew was that the disgusting waste of human life that had tormented him for far too long was going to die at _his_ hands.

-The two long clashing enemies where halfway to the ground when the Joker shot Batman a wicked smile before abruptly grabbing onto the sill of an open window and flinging himself into the building. Batman fell past the window but quickly shot his grapple gun through the window and jolted himself right back toward it. The second Batman's hand grabbed a hold of the windowsill he bashed his way through it, sending glass and wood flying across the room. Barbara Gordon and Dr. Thompkins screamed in horror at the sudden break-in but Batman ignored them and bolted out the door nearly ripping it off the hinges. In the hall, Batman's blood-red vision caught sight of the Joker and he raced for him growling like a wild beast.

-He chased the killer clown down a winding stairwell and burst into the hospital lobby where a large number of the hospital patients were still standing. Everyone turned in the direction of the Caped Crusader and watched as he ran to the glass door shouting, "Don't let him get away!"

-He ran toward the automated glass door and, before it even had time to open, Batman burst through it and into the crowd sending them scattering like a flock of birds.

From the window, Barbara and Dr. Thompkins watched in horror as Batman took to the streets in a relentless chase after his own insanity.

Within the dream world Alice, Edward, Harvey, and Bane were still inside the courthouse calling out Victor's name and getting no response. Alice's mind had come to a three way stop:

1\. The courthouse wasn't that big, so Victor had to be in there somewhere, but what if he wasn't?

2\. Maybe he went outside, but what if he didn't?

3\. Freddy had to have taken him. No! She wasn't willing to accept that, but what if he did?

-"Christ, this is getting us nowhere," Edward said with frustration, "I say we split up."

-"No," Alice quickly responded, "That's just what he wants."

-"With all due respect, Dr. Johnson," Bane said, "Edward does have a point. And besides, even if everything you said is true, if this Freddy person is real, why has he not taken us all? Based on what you have told us, he sounds more than capable of doing so."

-"Yeah," Edward responded, "And for that matter, he's in _our _dream. And you are looking at the King of Minds."

-Alice shook her head, "You don't understand, none of you do. You have no idea of what we're up against."

-"I say we flip on it," Harvey said.

-"For once I agree," Edward responded.

-"No God damnit!" Alice said growing irritated, "As your doctor, I am telling you that it is in your best interest to stick with me!"

-"And I'm telling you you're crazy," Edward responded.

-Alice was about to yell but Bane intervened, "Stop it! Both of you!" Then he turned his attention back to Alice, "Look, we all appreciate your concern. But, we have been making very minimal progress with maximum effort. And if this truly is a dream, then we have nothing to fear. Dreams are simply lies that one tells oneself in slumber."

\- She grabbed Bane's arm and pointed to the bite mark.

-"Look at this Bane!" Alice dabbed her finger on the bite mark and held it up so Bane could see the blood, "Does _this _look like a lie to you? Does it _feel _like a lie?"

-"Ha," Bane scoffed with a smile, "I became immune to pain long ago. This is but a flesh-wound."

-Alice screamed through her teeth while grabbing and squeezing clumps of her hair, nearly shedding tears of frustration.

-"I am trying to _protect _you!" Alice screamed, "Why can't you understand that?"

-"Because you've been hiding this from us," Edward answered. Alice turned to him with a confused eyebrow raised. "What?"

-"Let's say for a moment that everything you've told us is true. Let's say that for the past month, some new maniac has been hunting us down and killing us off one by one in our sleep. Why didn't you tell us this from the start? You knew what was going on this whole time and you kept it a secret from us. So the way I see it, we have two possibilities: one, you're more insane than the rest of us, two, you're in on this conspiracy. Hell, maybe you're actually this, this…Teddy Cougar or whoever masquerading as Dr. Johnson."

-Edward's theory caused Bane and Harvey to slowly turn an eye to Alice, who now had her mouth open out of both shock and resentment.

-"No…No! No, how could you even think-"

-Edward turned to Harvey, "Mr. Dent, if you please…"

-Harvey took out his coin and tossed it into the air. He held out his hand, waiting for it fall back down into his palm, and was shocked when it landed right-side up. The coin stood up by itself for a few seconds before rolling out of Harvey's hand and onto the floor where it began to seemingly roll away of its own will.

-As Harvey chased after his coin, Edward let out an exasperated sigh and said, "To Hell with this," Then he turned to Bane, "I'll check upstairs you check downstairs, holler up to me if you find Victor, and you," Edward turned to Alice, "Try not get anymore of us killed okay?" Then he walked away.

-Alice ran after him, nearly blind with rage, but Bane caught her arm and Alice watched Edward vanish up the stairs.

-"Do not mind him Dr. Johnson," Bane said trying to calm her, "That pretentious jackass is too smart for his own good. The 'King of Minds' will get crowned on the head _hard _one of these days."

-"Oh Jesus Christ don't you get it?" Alice said sounding defeated, "That's exactly what I'm afraid of. This is how I lost my son: no one would listen." A tear rolled down Alice's cheek.

-Bane gently placed his massive hand down on Alice's and said to her softly, "Mind over matter. That is what you have always taught us, _no?_ _That _is the key here. If we can remain in control our minds then the obstacles of this world will be no threat to us." Alice looked up at Bane. "I am sorry about your little niño, but we can handle ourselves. You need not fear our safety. Believe me, we have all dealt with nightmares far worse than this."

-And with that, Bane left Alice alone in a dazed state. Her final thought: _God, if I ever needed a cigarette._

-Alice stepped outside leaving the door open in case something went wrong as she took her breather. She reached into her coat pocket, took out a cigarette pack, and placed her last cigarette between her lips. Alice felt a moment of relief as she exhaled the fumes in a gaseous cloud of nicotine, tar, and smoke. As she placed the cancer stick back in her mouth the door slammed shut.

Alice spun around with a startled gasp, the cigarette nearly falling from her lips. Alice banged on the door demanding her patients to open it. Then surprisingly it did open (just a crack).

-Alice was startled for a second, as she had not expected the door to open so easily. Then, she grabbed the door and flung it open revealing an endless void of darkness. As Alice starred into the abyss, a pair of glowing green eyes with thin, black slits appeared.

-Alice barely had time to gasp before a large, black arm shot out from the doorway and grabbed her by the throat. Then, a silver arm slowly rose out the darkness sporting five metal claws. The claws looked like Freddy's, but were longer and curved like a pair of razor talons.

-The claw moved up toward Alice's face and plucked the still burning cigarette from her lips. The claw brought the cigarette toward the dark figure's face and placed it in its mouth. The creature blew smoke in Alice's face and she began coughing (even more so since she had something constricting her airway).

-"_These things'll kill you, ya know," _said a purring, female voice, "_That's my job." _Then, the female creature extinguished the cigarette by pressing it against Alice's cheek, causing her scream in pain. _"Although," _the creature said in a manner of consideration, "_Killing you in the state you're in just wouldn't be any fun. So I tell you what: I'm going to give you two generous donations. First," _the creature placed its index claw on Alice's broken arm and it gave off a faint, red glow. Then Alice's cast crumbled and, much to her surprise, her arm was fully healed. The creature dropped Alice as she coughed and gasped for breath.

-_"Second, I'm going to give you a 30 second head start. It will make the chase a bit more interesting…for me."_

-Alice slowly began to back away. _"One…two…skip a few…" _Alice began running down the stone stairs of the courthouse, "_twelve…skip a couple…make it double…" _the creature waited until Alice had vanished from its sight before finishing with a toothy smile, "_30"._

_MEANWHILE…_

Poison Ivy ran for her life through the dark woods panting and crying as she pushed past branches and lept over rocks and undergrowth. She dared not turn around. She didn't want to see the death that she knew was trailing close behind; she didn't want to see the moment when those claws would seize her and cut her open while her screams broke through the night.

-Freddy's voice sounded in the darkness, "_Run, run, run as fast as you can! You can't escape me," _A branch on one of the trees ahead of Ivy transformed into the dream demon's arm and his face appeared in the bark of the tree, "I'M THE BOOGEYMAN!"

-Ivy screamed as Freddy slashed his claw across her lumbar region, tearing four claw marks in her shirt. Ivy didn't slow down; she continued to run even as the algae-green blood oozed down her side and onto her leg. Then, in the distance, she saw what appeared to be a rising stream of smoke.

-Hope started to emerge in Ivy's mind again and she dashed with everything that she still had in her toward the supposed campfire, screaming for help.

-But when she arrived at the source of the smoke, she saw that it was actually coming through a hole in the ground and the cause was the raging fire that was still burning in the Eden below the park. As Ivy started to back away from the hole, a burst of flame erupted out of the hole like a geyser, launching Freddy high into the air where he landed gracefully on the ground as fireballs rained down like meteorites into the woods and set them ablaze. The force of the eruption knocked Ivy to the ground and she desperately tried to crawl away as the nightmare demon approached her, scraping its claws together like butcher knives ready to carve a Thanksgiving turkey.

-As Ivy was crawling away, she unwittingly pushed down on the car keys in her hand and a loud "_beep, beep" _echoed in the woods. Both Ivy and Freddy stopped at the strange noise. Then came the sound of tires speeding along the ground which grew louder and louder. Suddenly, a large, pink convertible appeared out of the darkness, struck Freddy before he had a chance to react, and ran him over.

-Ivy could not believe what she was seeing; her beloved Rose Bud had come to her rescue!

-She stared at the car, dumbstruck for a few moments before being snapped back to reality by the burning debris that was plummeting from the treetops. Ivy rushed to her car, hopped in, turned on the headlights, and started the motor. The car sprung to life as the tires tore at the earth beneath it, sending clouds of dust into the air. As Ivy was making her way onto a dirt trail that she knew would bring her to the city, she saw Freddy limping across the ground with a broken leg and arm. Out of both rage and spite, Ivy floored the gas and ran him over a second time. The car bucked off the ground as Freddy was crushed under the massive weight. As Ivy sped down the road, she glanced in her rearview mirror and saw a large tree that had been fully engulfed in flames crash to the ground right on top of Freddy. The tree then broke through the ground and was completely incinerated in the fire within the cavern. A massive wall of flames erupted from the ground and Ivy began laughing hysterically both out of relief and triumph.

-"Burn in Hell you son-of-a-bitch!" She shouted into the night.

_MEANWHILE…_

-Edward Nygma ascended the staircase in the courthouse and when he reached the top, he noticed a green light ominously glowing in the far corner of the hallway. He approached it slowly and attentively, yet as he drew nearer he seemed to mesmerized by whatever it was; it seemed to slowly pull him in like a moth to a flame. When he reached it, he was puzzled to find himself starring at a green question mark. Something with Edward's mind instinctually told him to touch the mark, and he did.

-Then the question mark revealed a sentence in the form of a riddle: "_The more there is, the less you see. What could it be?" _Edward pondered for a moment before answering, "Darkness."

-The entire room went pitch black and the only light came from the question mark. Suddenly, the question mark slithered around Edward like a snake and constricted him while the period at the bottom wrapped itself around his face. Edward screamed and grabbed at his face trying to free himself. But then he felt something else on his face…it was his mask. Edward was now in his Riddler costume. Before he had a chance to question anything, he looked up and saw that there were now dozens, if not hundreds, of green question marks glowing all around him in the dark.

*As Bane was searching downstairs, he found his way to the back of the courthouse where he came across something that he hadn't noticed before: a basement. He descended the stairs and when he reached the bottom he found himself in the midst of a couple of dilapidated holding cells. When he approached the cell that was placed on the far side of the room, he was surprised to find that the cell actually contained a long dark tunnel that seemed to go on for miles. Bane called Victor's name but the only response he got was his own echo. Then a narrow line of ceiling lamps flashed on one by one down the tunnel. As if beckoned forward, Bane slowly made his way through the tunnel.

-As Bane walked down the mysterious passageway he noticed the walls were all covered in calendar pages, all of which dated farther back in time the farther Bane wandered. After walking down the passage for about five minutes Bane stepped on something that let out a _"squeak". _Bane looked down at his feet and was dumbfounded to see Osoito, his little teddy bear from when he was just a small child. Bane turned the stuffed animal over and saw the incision he had made just below the head where he kept a knife hidden to protect himself from the violent criminals of Peña Duro.

-"Es mi infancia," Bane said to himself in disbelief. Then without warning, all of the calendar pages violently flew from the wall as if they were being pulled into a tornado. Bane was startled as the pages encircled and engulfed him like a flock of angry birds. He tried to fight his way through the unrelenting cyclone of paper long forgotten by time but there was no way out. As Bane tried to fight his way through, his massive foot stomped down on a stone tile and the floor beneath him broke open sending him and his long lost memory from childhood plunging into a dark abyss. Looking down, Bane could see a slab of concrete that he was mere seconds away from colliding with. He shut his eyes and with a loud crash, everything went black.

*Harvey Dent's coin continued to roll away from its keeper until it entered the courtroom. There it began rolling faster directly toward a crevice in the ground. Harvey screamed and leapt for his precious coin. However, just as the coin reached the edge of the crevice, it stopped and fell onto its side. Harvey landed on the ground a few inches behind the coin and as he gazed at it, he saw that it landed with a result of tails. This caused a disturbance in the former District Attorney's mind. But before Harvey could dwell on the feeling for too long, the coin sprang up in the air with a loud _ring. _It fluttered in mid air for a second or two before landing in the open palm of Freddy Krueger, who sat lazily in the defendant's chair with his legs resting up on the stand.

-"HeHe, Finally we meet face 2face," Freddy said with a devious grin.

-Harvey gasped in horror at the sudden appearance of the monstrosity that now sat before him clutching the very object that made him everything that he was.

-Freddy let out a reminiscent sigh, like an old man sitting in a rocking chair on his front porch remembering the good ole days.

-"Oh Harvey, Harvey, Harvey Dent…I have _so _many fond memories of this room," He turned to Harvey with a dark smile, "It's been years since I've sat in this chair. Back then I was facing up to three life sentences with the possibility of a death sentence. But I eluded them both, all because some dick-weed failed to do their job and issue a proper warrant. But hey, that's the justice system for ya. Course, _you'd _know all about that wouldn't you Mr. Dent?"

-Harvey was furious. He wanted nothing more than to leap onto this abomination and smash its face in, but his mind was too frightened to move.

-"But that's all in the past," Freddy said rising from the defendant chair. Freddy moved over and took a seat at the highest point on the stand: the judge's chair.

-"You disgusting freak!" Harvey barked, "Give me back-"

-"Order in the court!" Freddy shouted pointing an accusing blade at Harvey.

-"Harvey 'Two-Face' Dent, you stand accused of murder, mayhem, robbery, and…_false identification. _How do you plead?"

-Harvey was silent. His face tensed and he was beginning to sweat.

-"Oh come now Big Bad Harv, it's a simple question: guilty or not guilty? Don't tell me you actually need _this _to decide," Freddy said while mockingly holding up the coin. Now Harvey's rage had broken through.

-"Give me that!" He demanded in his Two-Face voice.

-"Sure," Freddy responded, "But only if you win."

-"What are you saying?" Two-Face snarled with a shaking temper.

-"I can see you're a gambling man Harvey, well so am I. But I prefer it when the rules aren't so black and white." Freddy tossed something to Two-Face and he caught it in his hands as it bumped into his abdomen. When he looked in his hands to see what it was, he was holding a set of red and green dice.

-Freddy tossed the coin in the air and when it reached its highest point it transformed into a rotating saw-blade. The blade descended and embedded itself into the ceramic floor tiles. Once in the ground it began spinning, sending dust and rocks flying through the air. Then it suddenly began to cut through the floor like a shark fin knifing through the surface of the ocean. Two-Face hastily dodged out of the path of the swirling blade as it carved out weird patterns and columns in the floor. Then the blade carved out what Two-Face could only imagine to be a boundary to conceal the strange handiwork it had set up around him. When the blade was finished, the part of the floor that remained outside of the boundary (the part that the saw had not touched) shattered into a million pieces along with the entire room and Two-Face was left standing in a dark void with only the dismantled floor supporting him.

-As Two-Face starred blankly at the floor, sections of it were abruptly scorched by a small flame and branded either a number or a name. Then the entire floor transformed into a _Craps _table.

-Two-Face turned around and gasped when he saw Freddy towering over him on the other side of the wall that had been created from the outer boundary.

-"What is this?!" Two-Face shouted up to him.

-"Why, this is _your _kind of game Harvey," Freddy responded, "And if you can beat me at your own game, you're free to go."

-"And if I lose?"

-Freddy just smiled, "Just let me set up your chips."

-Freddy placed a small, circular chip on the FIELD, two chips on the 6 and 8 in the _Big _section, and one chip on the _Don't Pass Bar_. Two-Face remained on the PASS LINE.

-In a beam of light, there emerged from the chips, like an alien beaming from a spaceship, a human being. But not just any human beings: the ones whose lives Harvey had gambled with or whom he had gambled his own life with.

-The chips on the 6 and 8 transformed into a pair of redheaded twins whom Two-Face recognized as the first henchmen he had ever recruited. The chip on the FIELD turned into stranger with a square jaw wearing a brown and blue jacket. Two-Face suddenly realized it was the thug who kicked mud on him years ago _and _the same one who caused the explosion that disfigured him. The thug smiled at Two-Face and Two-Face ran at him growling with rage but he was halted when bumped into what seemed like an invisible wall. Feeling in front of him, Two-Face realized he was confined to the section of the table on which he stood. When the last chip materialized, Two-Face leapt back in absolute shock.

-Rupert Thorne, who had died years ago from a heart tumor, was now standing over Harvey looking just as smug as ever.

-Harvey was snapped out of his surprise when he heard the sound of Freddy shouting, "Let the good times _roll!" _

-After starring at the repulsive smiles of the scum from his past, Two-Face hurled the dice at Rupert Thorne but the stopped in midair after striking the invisible wall. The result came up 7.

-Thorne, the twins, and the person who created Two-Face, were all consumed by a burning light and disintegrated into nothing. Then Two-Face's section gave off a white, angelic glow. The glow moved from the floor to the disfigured part of Two-Face's body and when it faded, Harvey was astonished to find that his left hand was fully and completely healed.

-That's when he realized what sort of "game" he was playing: if he could out last the scum of the earth on the playing by actually passing judgment on them through a more or less fair system of odds then he would be given his entire life back. For Two-Face, this truly was a dream come true.

-"Keep em comin freak!" He shouted up to Freddy, "I'm feeling lucky tonight." Freddy smiled maliciously as he stacked more chips.

-After several rounds, Two-Face had eliminated over 200 criminals that he had prosecuted before the incident and every judgment and sentence he cast on them with a roll of his dice made him feel overjoyed. And with every round that he won, his face would return to normal, bit by bit. After several minutes, the only part of Harvey Dent's face that remained un-pure was his eye. And with a new round beginning, this problem would surely be rectified.

-Freddy placed one single chip on the FIELD and Harvey's fist shook with anticipation as he awaited the next defendant. Instead, when the chip materialized Harvey was starring into the teal-blue eyes of a young blonde woman, the one whom Harvey had lost every chance of sharing a normal life with.

-"Grace?" Harvey said in his normal voice. His grip on the dice loosened and he just starred into her sorrowful eyes as he felt tears well up in his own.

-"Com'on! While we're still young…" Freddy said impatiently.

-"N-No. No! No I won't do! You can't make me!" Harvey screamed.

-"Wanna bet?" Freddy asked with sneer.

-Harvey looked down and was horrified to see his left hand turn pale blue again. He brought a hand to his face and felt the bumps and scar tissue returning. But then he felt something worse: he felt the contamination on his body starting to spread to his right half. His deformity was threating to completely consume him.

-In a panic, Harvey threw the dice and the deformity left his body again. This time the dice went beyond PASS LINE and they each landed on either side of Grace. The results: 1 on red and 1 on green.

-"HaHa snake-eyes!" Freddy shouted victoriously.

-Almost instantly, the damage that had killed Harvey Dent returned and Two-Face reemerged.

-"NO!" Two-Face shouted as he fell to his knees crying. When he looked back up, he saw Grace with her back turned to him bent over collecting the dice. Two-Face rose to his feet and desperately called out to her. Grace turned to Two-Face with the dice in her hands. She held each of them between her thumb and index fingers with the 1 result of each die facing Two-Face. Then much to Two-Face's horror, Grace shoved each of the dice into her eyes, covering her face as she did so. When she removed her hands from her face, the snake-eyes had become literal snake eyes as her face had transformed into that of a hideous, monstrous gorgon.

-As Two-Face started to scream, both of the gorgon's eyes gave off an eerie glow. Then two concentrated beams of yellow light shot from the eyes and struck Two-Face, instantly turning his body into stone.

-Even though Two-Face's body had been petrified, his vision was still functioning and he watched as the monster that replaced his lost fiancée disappeared in a flash of flame. Then he saw Freddy move in front of him.

-Freddy held up Two-Face's coin and flipped it in the air. As it began to descend, it turned into metal gavel.

-When the gavel landed in Freddy's hand, the _Craps _table vanished and the courtroom reappeared. Freddy turned back to Two-Face, whose eyes were wide with horror. "Catch ya on the flip side, Big Bad Harv."

-Freddy brought his hand back and with one violent swing he smashed Harvey Dent's face to pieces, sending blood and rock fragments scattering across the courtroom.

In the real world Batman pursed the Joker toward Gotham Cathedral. The clown menace skipped up the stone stairs without a care in the world and entered through the tall wooden doors. When the doors were shut, Batman slammed against them with his elbow leaving a series of fissures in the wood.

-Inside the church, the priest, an elderly man with grey hair and a false leg, gasped at the sound of a battering ram slamming against his door. He grabbed a small crucifix and began walking toward the door with the tiny symbol of goodness held up in front of him

-Outside Batman tried to open the door but it was locked. After banging into it a few more times he looked up and saw the Joker in one of the windows giving him a mocking wave.

-He took out a batarang and hurled it at the glass.

-Inside, the priest fell onto his back as the stain-glass window above the church entrance shattered and a black figure that he initially thought to be the Devil burst into his sanctuary.

-The priest watched in horror as the demonic figure immediately started to run amok in his church. Batman's sense of morality and judgment were gone, replaced by a burning desire to seek and destroy his target and to eliminate any thing that stood in his way.

-"Where is he? Where is he?" Batman growled angrily as he tore apart the confession box, overturned a table that had prayer candles burning on top of it, and sent wooden chairs flying into the stonewalls where they were smashed to splinters.

-The priest could do nothing but watch helplessly as his scared home was ripped apart by the emotionally broken Dark Knight until Batman turned to the alter and froze.

-The Joker was standing at the altar just below a giant marble cross with a statue of Jesus hanging from it.

-"Gee Bats, I never took you for a comedian but you're really bringing the house down."

-Batman hurled a shuriken at him but the Joker leapt high into the air and grabbed a hold of a massive chandelier. The shuriken struck the crucifix with such force that it caused the symbol of inner righteousness to fall to the floor and crumble to pieces.

-The Joker swung from the chandelier with such unnatural force that he managed to hurl himself from one side of the cathedral all the way to the broken window at the front. Batman bashed through the doors and forced them open. As Batman disappeared into the night, the priest bowed his head and mournfully prayed.


	32. Chapter 28: Trial

_Nightmare in Arkham_

Chapter 28: "Trial"

_FUN FACT: __I just found out that the Riddler I decided to use for this story was voiced by the same actor who played Freddy Krueger_

-Commissioner Gordon pulled up in front of Gotham University and let Dick out. Just as he was about to drive away, his police scanner went off with a report of a hostile individual on the rampage in Gotham. Almost simultaneously, Dick's phone rang and when he answered Barbara frantically relayed to him that Batman had gone insane and was now running through Gotham. She figured he must have snapped from watching Selina die and that there was no telling what he was going to do. In an instant, Dick was racing to his room to don his Robin costume and Gordon was racing down the street blaring his sirens.

Within the dream world the Riddler had solved every riddle except two. He placed his hand on one of the question marks.

-_I have billions of eyes, yet I live in darkness. I have millions of ears, yet only four lobes. I have no muscles, yet I move two hemispheres. What am I?_

-The Riddler actually felt insulted by how simple this one was. The answer was the only thing he had actually admired his entire life.

-"The human brain," he answered. The question mark changed into a checkmark and vanished, leaving only one more riddle to be answered.

-The Riddler stared at the last remaining riddle in anticipation, wondering what his prize would be once he answered it correctly. He laid his hand on the mark.

_What is it that walks on four legs, then two legs, and then finally three legs?_

"Seriously…" The Riddler asked thinking that whatever powers that be had finally given up, "Your last riddle is seriously the oldest and simplest one ever conceived in the history of mankind?" The question was rhetorical but the Riddler paused as if expecting someone to answer. No one did.

-He sighed, "Very well. The answer is a human being: it crawls on all fours as an infant, walks on two legs as an adult, and walks with a cane as an old man."

_-"EEENT! WRONG!"_ Freddy's voice called out in a singsong tone.

-The Riddler leapt into the air and landed on his behind. He shot his head in all directions but there was no one except him and the question mark, which had changed from lime green to rose-red.

-"_The answer to all three is a baby." _ Before the Riddler could say anything, the question mark rematerialized as red square and as the Riddler gazed at it, it displayed a visual image a silhouetted baby crawling on all fours. Then the baby was flipped upside down and its legs disappeared with a quick, slashing noise. Then it fell to the ground and began crawling with its two remaining arms, leaving a trail of blood in its wake. Then a spike shout up from beneath the infant and impaled it through the chin but not through the head. The spike broke away from the ground and the baby hobbled along on its third leg before succumbing to its wounds and falling dead where it lay; then the spike penetrated the skull. The red screen went blank. _"Get the picture?" _Freddy's voice asked.

-The Riddler just stood silent with his mouth hanging open in pure repugnance.

-"What is this, some kind of sick joke?" He asked angrily, "That's disgusting! Why the hell would someone make a joke like that?"

-_"Simple…it's not their baby."_

-"Who are you?!" Riddler shouted into the darkness.

-"_Ah-Ah-Ah, in this world I'M the one who asks the riddles. And since you failed to deliver the correct answer…" _

-The Riddler looked up and noticed something flying toward him. As the figure drew closer, he recognized it as a golden hand from a video game he was obsessed with in his youth. It was the Hand of Fate.

-At first the Riddler wasn't alarmed, for he knew that the hand's purpose was to relocate him to a random area after failing to answer a riddle. But as the hand descended to where it's front was aligned with the Riddler's body, four long daggers stretched out of the fingertips.

-The Riddler screamed and began to run away but the hand increased its speed and caught him. However, by a string of luck the Riddler was not impaled on the blades, but wound up lodged between two of them. The hand rose high into the air carrying the frightened Riddler between its long claws while the Riddler clung to the blades to keep from falling to his death.

_MEANWHILE…_

-Alice cautiously stepped through the white mist in what she could only guess some kind of forensic lab. The floor in the room was frozen over in a thin sheet of ice that cracked under the weight of Alice's feet. She wrapped her lab coat tightly around herself wishing she had worn her jacket to work and tried to keep her teeth from chattering in order to avoid drawing any unwanted attention. Alice peered around the room and as she took in the surreal atmosphere created by the pale blue light reflecting off of the ice, she heard faint crackling noises. Alice tried to stop herself from moving but quickly realized, "Those aren't my feet."

-Another sound filled the misty air. It was a loud, metallic noise like a spoon dropping onto a hard floor and this noise was followed by a series of chilling ringing sounds as the creature slowly raked its metal claws against the frozen wall.

-Alice couldn't see the creature but she was certain that it could see her. She slowly backed up against a wall so that she could at least avoid a sneak attack from the she-monster. And then as Alice crouched down to better conceal herself the female monster began singing. It was in a very low whisper tone but the room was so silent that the sound bounced off of every surface and echoed in Alice's ears.

"_Baby, I'm preying on you tonight  
Hunt you down eat you alive  
Just like animals, animals, like animals  
Maybe you think that you can hide  
I can smell your scent from miles  
Just like animals, animals, like animals"_

-Alice still couldn't see her stalker but she could picture the smile on its face. It sounded like it was enjoying every minute of the chase. But the worst part was Alice had no idea of how close or how far it was from her because the echo of its voice came from so many different directions that it blurred its current position.

-When Alice turned her head to one side she saw out of the corner of her eye that made her abruptly spin around. It was a dim red glow just a few centimeters above her shoulder and even fewer centimeters next to the side of her head. When Alice turned around, the horrid scene that met her eyes almost caused her to scream.

-Sealed behind Alice in a glass case was human corpse that had been burned far beyond the point of recognition. The flesh was ash-black with small traces of cold blue. Every part of the body was hooked up to various wires and cables that seemed to be pumping some kind of pink fluid into what used to be the veins. Part of the body looked like it was in the process of undergoing some kind of cybernetic transformation, which was evident in the left eye. A tiny circular lens similar that of a signal light that glowed a deathly red had replaced the eye. The right eye hung open like the eye of a stuffed animal-head mounted over a fireplace. This eye was the only part of the body that still resembled anything close to human.

-As Alice stared into lifeless eye of the cadaver, she slowly started to realize who she was looking at. The eye she was starring into was the same one that pleaded her to spare its owner's life and the same one that cried for Poison Ivy. "Victor…" Alice said as her voice started to tremble.

-Alice slowly backed away from the corpse, never taking her eyes off it. As she did so, her bottom lip began to quiver and she covered her mouth as she began to weep for her lost comrade. The cold caused the tears to burn Alice's cheeks; a few of the streaks left behind froze and clung to Alice's skin. But she didn't care. She was consumed with sorrow as the moment she gambled Victor's life played tauntingly in her head.

-"I'm sorry Victor," Alice choked out.

-"_Why?" _A female voice asked, "_It's just what the snowman wanted, isn't it?" _The voice said almost mimicking Alice's voice.

-Alice spun around to see the creature's dark figure concealed in the mist only about 20 feet behind her. As it moved close, the glow from the creature's eyes seemed to pierce Alice's soul.

-"_Don't worry child, he's only sleeping." _The creature scraped its claw along a metal railing causing that metallic ring to echo through the room again, "_You should be more concerned about yourself right now." _

-As the monster drew closer Alice looked at it as if just realizing whom it was for the first time.

-"Catwoman?" She asked both surprised and horrified by the realization that Freddy most likely took her as well.

-The creature stopped, then it gave off a sinister chuckle. "_Catwoman? Catwoman is dead my friend," _Then the creature stepped into view making its full appearance visible for the first time.

-The creature had the body of a human woman with the head of a female lion. The entire body was covered in fur as black as a panther except for a pattern of scarlet red tiger stripes that ran down the creature's arm, back, and legs. The stripes looked like they could have been claw marks. The creature's right arm was that of a normal lion paw but the left arm was a giant mechanical claw that looked like it had been custom-designed as a high-tech version of Freddy's glove. The cat creature looked into Alice's eyes with the smile of a predator, flashing its long razor-sharp teeth as a foreboding of Alice's impending death.

-"You can call me…Sekhmet," The cat creature announced as it raised its metal claw, "And when I spill blood, my heart rejoices."

-Sekhmet looked at Alice anticipating her to draw back in terror and run, but she didn't. In fact she did the exact opposite.

-Alice stood up straight, her eyes shifted away from despair and began shinning with rage as her adrenaline slowly started to kick in. With her eyes locked on her aggressor, Alice moved both of her hands to the slit in her lab coat and let it fall to the floor at her feet. Alice was now in her fighting clothes, which had appeared as the result of Alice mentally connecting with her anger and will to survive. She glared at Sekhmet and said, "Not my blood."

-Sekhmet smiled with delight and said, "That's the spirit." She then pounced toward Alice who stood ready to fight to the death.

_MEANWHILE…_

-The Hand of Fate continued to soar through the blackened skies of Arkham City with the Riddler still wedged between its fingers as he screamed in fear. Finally the hand dipped to one side and the Riddler fell from the Hand's clutches and landed on the staircase to the entrance of the Natural History Museum. The Riddler tumbled down the stone steps and when he reached the bottom he groaned in pain as he tried to stand. His body was sore and bruised and he had some trouble keeping his balance for a while but he was otherwise unharmed.

-After the pain in the Riddler's limbs became tolerable, he looked up see where he was. When he saw that he had been dropped off in front of the museum, he smiled to himself. "Well isn't this convenient."

-Riddler stretched his arms and legs to adjust them and then he made his way up the stairs…then stopped cold in his tracks when he saw who was waiting for him at the top.

-"Julie," the Ridller said with his mouth hanging open in disbelief. Julie's eyes peered over her glasses as she stared at her former partner with pure malevolence.

-"Long time no see, Eddie. But it looks like you're still the same sad, lonely psychopath I remember you as."

-"_You_ did this to me!" The Riddler snarled, "You destroyed my life! You took away my one chance at…at-"

-"At what?" Julie asked raising one eyebrow.

-"At not becoming the Riddler," Edward responded with hurt in his voice. Julie just laughed.

-"No Eddie, you sentenced yourself in that regard. I just eliminated a tragic flaw in an otherwise perfect plan."

-The Riddler balled his hands into fists and grinded his teeth. "You have the nerve to call _me _a tragic flaw? I'm the one who invented the memory disks! We could have had everything-"

-"Yes, _we _could have," Julie interrupted, "If you had taken Gorman up on his offer to buy the memory disks we would both be living like royalty but _no! _You and your pride and your ego just couldn't leave well enough alone! You uncovered a gold mine, Eddie, and you were just going to let the gold sit in a dusty hole! But what can I expect from a _moron _like you!"

-The Riddler's entire body shook with rage. He began to approach Julie.

-Julie scoffed, "You wouldn't hit a girl with glasses, would ya Eddie?" The Riddler's fist smashed into the side of Julie's head, knocking off her glasses and sending her falling sideways to the ground."

-"I am not a moron!" The Riddler growled through clenched teeth.

-Julie chuckled, "Prove it. Answer this riddle: I am a king, I am a tyrant; I have four fingers and six toes; and my reign of terror lasted for 20 million years. Who am I?"

-"Tyrannosaurs Rex," Riddler exclaimed triumphantly. The malicious smile on Julie's face did not leave.

-_BOOM…BOOM…BOOM_

-The ground shook under the Riddler's feet with each thunderous crash.

-_BOOM…BOOM_

-The Riddler turned to the side. Now facing the entrance to the museum, he watched as the door began to slowly creak open revealing nothing but darkness. There was a long silence, and then something began to emerge.

-It moved slowly at first without showing anything distinct. But as it came closer toward the entrance, it revealed two rows of glistening, dagger-sized teeth.

-Before the Riddler had a chance to react, there came from the darkness a powerful, ear-splitting roar that shattered the windows on various buildings within the vicinity. The roar was accompanied by a blast of wind that blew from the doorway like the air in a jet turbine. The Riddler was sent flying through the air before landing hard at the bottom of the stairs. When the Riddler hit the ground, there was a sound that he could only imagine to be a hundred sticks of dynamite all exploding at the same time. Stone, concrete, metal, and debris rained down like hailstones and the Riddler ducked down with his hands covering is head. When the maelstrom finally subsided, the Riddler looked up and was met with a think smokescreen of brownish-grey dust formed from the heap that now lay around him. The Riddler waited for the dust to clear and when it did, his entire body turned to ice.

-Towering more than 30 feet above the Riddler was the head of the Tyrant Lizard King himself, the Tyrannosaurus Rex. Both of its eyes glowed pinkish-red as they peered straight down at the Riddler. When the dust cloud disappeared completely and the entire monster became visible, the Riddler was horrified to see that the prehistoric predatory stood to at least 35 feet tall.

-The Riddler's eyes bulged with intense fear, tremors shook the Riddler's body to his core and he tried with every once of will inside of him to keep his body still but the fear and cold made this nearly impossible.

-Even though his mind was flooded with panic, his brain still obeyed one very important command: don't move. The Riddler knew that if he ran this behemoth would catch him in no time. Its massive legs would give the T-Rex a gait far greater than his own which meant it would be able to cover far more ground than the Riddler in a significantly shorter amount of time. For the moment, his best chance at escape would be to stay completely still and blend in with the debris.

-The T-Rex slowly lowered its head, growling softly as it appeared to study its prey. The Riddler tried to calm himself by rationalizing that the T-Rex wasn't real; that it was a robot or a hologram, it had to be. This comforting thought was shattered when the T-Rex opened its jaws and a strand of saliva (something no artificial creation would be capable of producing) fell to the ground. There was no question now: this monster was real!

-The Riddler's dilating pupils found their way to Julie, who had not gotten up and was starring at him with what, at first, seemed to be concern. But this expression quickly faded into a deviant smirk. She casually placed her glasses back on her face, peered over them, and gave the Riddler a suggestive wink. The T-Rex lifted one gargantuan foot off the ground and stomped it right on top of Julie, crushing her like a ripe tomato.

-At that point the Riddler's fear and adrenaline had completely taken over. He sprung off the ground like a frog and began sprinting down the street with the form and grace of an Olympic runner. He immediately heard the crashing roar and thundering footsteps of his pursuer but this only made him run faster at a speed the Riddler had never dreamed he was capable of.

-As the Riddler ran for his life, he found that even with his life dangling by a thread he was still able to think objectively and calculate plans for survival. He reasoned that he should get off the street and onto the sidewalk because he would be sitting duck out in the open. Keeping speed, the Riddler shifted his course off the road. Against his better judgment he turned to see how far ahead he was from the T-Rex.

-The T-Rex was a good 40 feet behind and for a short instant the Riddler was consoled by the thought that if he maintained his speed the monster would remain at the that distance. The T-Rex shifted its course to stay on the Riddler's trail. When it did so, the monstrous foot, still dripping with Julie's blood and entrails, came crashing down on a rusty, broken down car and crushed it flat. Images of meeting the same fate flashed before the Riddler's mind and he began to panic. There were no windows for him to duck into, no ladders for him to climb, and now the Riddler was certain that none of the abandoned automobiles would protect him. As fear started to grip him, he could feel his body start to slow and hear the ground-shaking footsteps getting closer and closer. But then the Riddler saw salvation.

-When he came upon a street corner, he saw that it ended at a sea wall and beyond that was a massive lake. The T-Rex would not be able to chase the Riddler in water; it's body mass and puny arms would cause the titanic beast to drown if it tried.

-The Riddler made a sharp turn and hurtled with all his remaining strength toward the watery sanctuary. Half way down the street he heard the T-Rex make the turn and the footsteps increased in speed, the T-Rex was now racing toward its prey with everything it could muster.

-As soon as the Riddler came upon the wall he leapt over it like a fish breaching the surface of the ocean and began falling toward the sea. It was then he saw the towering dorsal fin slowly cutting through the water. The Riddler screamed a cry of doom having realized too late that he had leapt out of the frying pan into the fire.

-The Riddler landed with a hard thud on a slab of solid concrete. Having not the time to prepare for the hard impact, the Riddler's body was dealt a shockwave of pain but the pain was neutralized by his utter bewilderment of the miracle that had saved him. The Riddler had landed on a concrete wharf that had been obscured by the shadows of the night. When his eyes adjusted he could see an entire walkway that stretched for about half a mile alongside the dark abyss that had nearly sent him to his death. The Riddler watched as the jet black fin slowly sank beneath the waves leaving a tiny ripple in its wake, then he turned around saw the elevated seawall and the steel ladder that he could have used as an alternative to his leap of faith. This irony caused the Riddler to have a brief moment of laughter that was cut short by the drop of saliva that landed right beside the Riddler's foot.

-The Riddler shot his head up and found himself starring into the red eyes of the Tyrannosaurs. The dinosaur starred back at him but did not move. The Riddler backed away a few steps keeping his eyes on his would be killer. The T-Rex seemed to be aware that he could no longer pursue its quarry and after a moment of consideration, the monster turned around, its tail stretching more than 12 feet outward from the top of the seawall, and lumbered away.

-Breathing a long sigh of relief, the Riddler turned and stared out to sea. He was granted the privilege of feeling the cool, salty air from the sea flow through his long, brown hair and hearing the soothing sound of the waves lapping against the wharf before his attention was drawn to an ominous glow just out of the corner of his eye.

-Situated the edge of the embankment at the midway point between the Riddler and the end of the wharf was a large metal crane with a jib that ran straight out over the sea for about 20 feet. Hanging on the end of the jib was a long steel cable that was about halfway down to the water that sported a massive hook that the Riddler guested was used to haul large cargo off of boats, although the hook did seem unusually large. But what caught the Riddler's attention was what was on top of the jib. Shinning as clear and true as the beacon from a lighthouse on a clear night was a green question mark.

-The Riddler was compelled to go toward the mark but for the first time in his life he was hesitant to answer the riddle. He stood, contemplating his options.

-"Oh Two-Face, where are you when I need you?" He said aloud with a frustrated grunt. He closed his eyes and exhaled. "Fuck it."

-The Riddler began walking toward the crane.

_MEANWHILE…_

-Bane awoke with a disoriented groan. His head felt like it was spinning and he had a case of double vision. Bane slowly and carefully rose to his feet, cursing in Spanish as he rubbed his aching head. The first noise that he heard was tiny "_tweet, tweet". _

-Bane shot his head to the ceiling and his vision gradually returned to normal. When it did, he saw a tiny golden bird perched on a set of iron bars that covered a hole in the roof.

-"Oh no," Bane said with eyes wide open. He shot his eyes from the bird and immediately recognized his surroundings. "No, No! This cannot be!"

-Bane was standing in the middle of the five-by-ten prison cell that he had spent more than a decade inside of as a child. It was the _Cavidad Oscuro_: the dark hole that had served as his home during his stay at the dreaded Peña Duro prison.

-Ironically when Bane was a child this place did not cause him distress but rather shaped him into the man he was today. It was the place where the true journey of Bane had begun. But to find himself trapped in this place after so long, after conquering the most dehumanizing obstacle ever constructed by the sadism of the human mind only to find himself locked away inside of it yet again like a caged animal, caused Bane a sickening emotional blow. He was not so much scared as he was enraged and humiliated. To Bane, this was the equivalent of a Harvard honor-roll student being demoted all the way down to pre-school.

-When Bane looked at his feet, he was greeted by the familiar sight of a swarm of rats and crabs scurrying and snapping around his feet. Bane lifted his foot and stomped it down so hard that dust fell from the walls of the tiny enclosure. Bane continued to do this until the floor was littered with broken shells, matted clumps of brown and black fur, and a stew of yellow and red and orange guts. Bane gave a victorious chuckle before he heard the roar of the tide from the nearby ocean and saw the water begin to flood into the tiny space. The water collected the mass of minced viscera on the ground and swirled it all around Bane face and body as he tried to get to the surface. As Bane pressed his face through one of the holes in the ceiling bars it didn't take long before the anger inside of his mind reached its breaking point.

-He swam down, ignoring the tiny animal guts that seemed to taunt him as he swam toward one of the stonewalls. With all his might, Bane ruptured a giant hole in the stonewall and the water came flooding out. Once the cell was emptied, Bane casually stepped out.

-"You could not contain me then, you will not contain me now," He said with great pride.

-Bane started to walk away but stopped when he noticed his long lost teddy bear lying against the wall opposite the hole. Its tiny body was as soaked and water logged as a kitchen sponge. Bane picked it up and examined it for a brief moment as if reflecting on memories long faded with his past life.

-After a short time, Bane turned the bear over, reached into the incision on its back, and took out a small shank knife. The blade of no longer than Bane's middle finger but it was still a handy weapon in terms of defense.

-"Just in case," Bane said looking about one of the many the desolate halls of the place he knew better than any other. He then tossed his old toy aside like an empty drink cup and walked down the foreboding tunnel that he had not walked in years.

_MEANWHILE…_

-The Riddler had reached the top of the crane and began attentively making his way across the jib, taking wide, elongated tiptoes to ensure he would not fall into black abyss that slowly churned in a sea of darkness below. When he finally reached the question mark he did so with utmost caution and even when he began moving his hand toward he felt the tug of reluctance on his arm. But the Riddler eventually fought it off and opened up the next riddle…except it wasn't a riddle. It was a question; the one question the Riddler just couldn't answer:

"_Why did your father hate you so?"_

-The Riddler just stared with his mouth open in confusion. "I…I don't know. He just didn't understand me. His mind just couldn't keep up with my brilliance and he was afraid. I'm sure deep down he truly did love me. I mean, why else _could _he have hated me?"

_-"Aw, how touching," _Freddy's voice sounded, "_But I'm afraid your answer is incorrect. But if you really want to know, why don't you ask your old man for yourself?"_

-_"Yeah champ," _Another male voice called out, _"Why not ask your old man? After all, father knows best."_

-The Riddler gasped at the familiar voice and spun around. Sure enough, standing just a few steps behind the Riddler was his father. The large, beefy man sneered at his on with contempt.

-"F-Father?" The Riddler backed up two steps.

-"Good to see you still recognize your old man, Ed."

-The Riddler was resentful toward Julie, but he was terrified of his father. As a child, with every beating he received from his dad the Riddler feared his father would break him in half; he was more than capable of doing it. And from the look in his father's eye it seemed he would do just that.

-"Well Champ, ain't you got something to say?" The Riddler's voice was caught in his throat, "What's wrong, can't talk little man? Ha! Ha! Ha! Bet you can't fight none either," The Riddler's father put his fists up like a boxer and his son shrunk back in fear. "Aw, what's the matter, champ? Do I make you nervous?"

-"N-N-No…" The Riddler finally managed to stammer out. His father's hand shot toward and struck him square in the nose.

-As the Riddler clutched his face while trying to keep his balance, his father grabbed him hard by the collar of his shirt and dangled him over the side of the crane.

-"Don't you lie to me boy! Don't you _ever _lie to me!"

-Screaming and breathing heavily the Riddler pleaded, "Yes! Yes you make me very nervous! I'm sorry for lying! Please, don't drop me!"

-"Tell me something, how many stories would you have to fall from in order for that think head of yours to break like a coconut?"

-The Riddler's body turned pale at the thought but a hard shake from his father forced him to hurriedly answer, "It usually takes about 50 feet or four to five stories to cause death. But based on the position of my body it would probably be less than that. JUST PLEASE DON'T LET ME FALL!"

-The father gave an evil smirk before jerking his son's body back into a full standing position and shoving him down so that he lay starring up at the towering brute from his past.

-"Now that we've had out little touching family reunion, I do believe you were just about to ask me something…"

-"Why do you hate me?" The Riddler asked as a tear fell from his eye, "What did I ever do to you?"

-The man's expression softened. "Oh Eddie, I never hated you. I could never hate you, you're my flesh and blood."

-The Riddler was puzzled.

-"It was never you Eddie, it was always me."

-"Really?" The Riddler asked.

-"Oh yes, ya see, _you _were always such big super genius, always thinking, always calculating. Yes sir, you were a real King of the Mind."

-The Riddler actually smiled. He never dreamed he would hear those words come from his father. But then his father's smile faded and was replaced with a bitter grimace.

-"But _I _didn't want a genius, I wanted a _son! _I wanted a little boy who knew when to keep his trap shut, who knew his place, not some stupid, snot-nosed, goody two-shoes _moron _who was too smart for his own good! Since the day you were born you've been nothing but a disappoint to me. Nothing but a little, scrawny moron shit."

-The Riddler's fear quickly transformed into hate and he glared murderously at his father.

-"But hey, every father and son eventually kisses and makes up. So what do ya say,"

The Riddler's father brought a hand from behind his back and in it he was grasping a large wooden baseball bat, "Why don't we burry the hatchet and play some ball champ?"

-The Riddler sat up straight and, looking his father square in the eyes, responded without fear, "I never was one for _ball, Champ."_

-The father growled through his teeth and brought his hand back preparing to swing at his son and, as soon as he did, the Riddler shot to his feet and grabbed the bat in both of his hands. For an intense moment, father and son fought over the bat in violent tug of war with animal like fury. Finally, the Riddler gained the upper hand by kicking his father in the balls. As he bent of in sheer agony clutching his loins the Riddler swung the bat and struck his father in the face. The blow knocked him backwards and as he staggered the Riddler struck again, this time nailing his father in the side. The Riddler wanted more than anything to knock his father off the crane and send him plunging into the freezing water, but the stubborn, large man refused to fall. So the Riddler had to settle for continually striking him in the face, belly, hips, legs, back, shoulders, until his entire body fell down with multiple splotches of red, black, blue, and purple.

-For a moment the Riddler stood over his beaten father breathing heavily as his hate-filled adrenaline settled. Then he hurled the bat through the air and watched it splash down into the sea. Then he heard his father's laughter.

-The Riddler shot his head back toward his dad just as he raised his battered face. He was missing four teeth and both of his eyes were swollen and black, one of his eyes was bloodshot red.

-"Alright," the man said with a bloody smile, "Then why don't we play something a little more fitting." He reached into his pocket and the Riddler's eyes shot open when he saw that his father had somehow obtained one of his own memory disks.

-"How did you get that?!" The Riddler demanded. The father just smiled.

-"I'll be the man, and you can be a good little doggie, and go _fetch!"_

-The father hurled the memory disk over the Riddler's head and the Riddler screamed as he watched it go flying toward the end of the jib. Impulse took over again and the Riddler made a mad dash for the disk and caught it just before it started to fall toward the water. Unfortunately, the Riddler's haste caused him to step farther than the safe point on the edge and he was sent over the edge screaming as he began falling toward the black.

-In the few seconds that he had, the Riddler caught sight of the crane hook and managed to grab a hold of it with one hand while desperately clutching the memory disk in the other. The Riddler breathed a sigh of relief before he felt the cable start to move.

-Shooting his eyes open and searching in all directions, the Riddler spotted his father now seated at the helm of the crane. It seemed as though his father decided to have one last "bonding experience" with his son: a good-old round of father-son fishing.

-The Cable dropped until the Riddler's feet were just a few inches over the water's surface. The Riddler looked up and then he was overcome with terror.

-"Oh no," speeding through the water 20 feet away was the shark fin. As the fin drew closer, the ferocious fish began raising its massive head above the waves, opening its cavernous mouth that could have clamped around the body of the T-Rex. "NO!"

-Just as the fish was about to hurl itself upon its prey, the Hand of Fate saved the Riddler as it swooped down below his feet and scooped him up. Looking back, the Riddler was able to catch the moment when half of the shark's 65-foot body burst from the water and snapped its jaws around the hook, the pulley block, and some of the cable. As the shark landed back in the water, the sheer size of the beast pulled the jib down with it and before long the entire crane, along with the Riddler's father, was pulled under the waves.

-The Hand of Fate carried the Riddler farther and farther away, all the while he watched the swirling water settle where the second nightmare behemoth had nearly taken him. The Riddler was about 50 feet up in the air when an explosion from beneath grabbed his attention. Looking down, he saw the shark rocketing itself toward him with the hook still lodged in the side of its mouth and the crane dangling from the side.

-The Shark's head stopped right where the Hand of Fate had just passed and the basket-ball sized eye was starring directly at the Riddler. Then the Riddler watched with dumbfounded awe as the shark began to shake its head from side to side thrashing the crane through the air like a play toy. As the crane hurtled toward the Riddler, he caught a brief glimpse of his father's drowned corpse before the Superbeast's head threw the crane in the opposite direction. The cable snapped and the crane went flying through the air over the city before falling into the city miles away. There was a "_boom" _and a fiery flash in the distance where the crane landed. As the Hand of Fate steered its course away from the water and back toward the city, the Riddler was able to watch the grand finale as the mighty Megalodon smashed down on the water like a meteor and sent a great swell of water sailing more than a hundred feet into the air.

-The Riddler now knew it would take more than brains to survive the trials in this world of madness.


	33. Chapter 29: Execution (Part 1)

_Nightmare in Arkham_

Chapter 29: "Executions" (Part 1)

-As Bane made his way down the stoned-wall cellblock, he found that the atmosphere had shifted immensely from the time he was a child. Bane remembered when he was about two or three years old, this was the place where he had first learned to crawl, how to walk, and also, where he learned the most rudimentary form of play. For you see, as inconceivable as it may seem, Peña Duro had at one point offered a sense of happiness to Bane. Not the sort of happiness that stems from having power or complete control over an entire house of corrupted madmen, but the happiness of childhood innocence. How could he have remembered a time so buried in his mind, so far away on the calendar of his life? Because those few years of innocence were the only years he would ever know such a feeling. And now, having returned to these God-forsaken crypts of the dying and the damned, Bane felt like he was walking through a haunted house located at the darkest corner of his subconscious.

-There was not a living soul anywhere, not a single a voice or cry of pain echoing through the halls, but then again, this was the infirmary block (the place where young meat was housed and kept from spoiling before being thrown into the slaughter house). It was nothing more than a long, narrow hallway with a length of about 30 feet, but for a naive child, running up and down these hallowed halls made him feel free as a bird.

-Bane was nearing the end of the cellblock when a noise made him stop. It was a soft, weeping sound that Bane almost recognized. It was the sound of a woman who had been stripped of all hope and had all but given up on life. It was the sound of his mother.

-Bane started to feel a cold shiver run up his spine and as he slowly turned to his right, the cold ran through the rest of his body. Bane was standing outside of the cell that he had called his home as a child. And on the far wall, under a barred window with the pale light of the moon shimmering onto the rocky floor, was an old ratty bed (the last place Bane had seen his mother alive).

-As the sobbing echoed behind the metal bars of the cell, Bane started to see visions from his sixth year of life. As he peered into the cell, he saw his mother lying in the bed with her face and body as deflated and haggard as that of a scarecrow with a burlap bag for a head.

-Young Bane was standing beside his mother as she feebly tried to speak to him, but was so drained that all she could do was choke out the last of the air inside of her lungs while using the final ounces of strength within her to display her love for the child in her eyes.

-Meanwhile, young Bane was also doing his best not cry. He tried to hide his tears behind a look of contempt. For even then he knew that tears were a sign of weakness.

-As Bane watched the final breath escape from his mother's lips, the tears he hid before came flowing. Bane beat his fists against the bars cursing himself for waiting until now to realize the sacrifices his mother had made for him.

-Bane stopped hitting the bars and buried his face into his fists, weeping softly.

-"They should have sentenced her to execution," he said with tears running down his cheeks, "It would have been so much more merciful than a lifetime of suffering."

-Suddenly, the bars on the cell fell down with a loud clatter, startling Bane and causing him to lift his head. For a moment, Bane stood vacantly as he gazed into the cell at the empty bed. Then he slowly made his way into the cell and stopped right at the spot where he had watched his mother die. As he looked down, he could see her frail, debilitated body resting limply on the mattress. Bane gazed to the empty, marble eyes of his mother as she lay in her eternal rest and, after a short pause, he reached his hand to her face and used two of his fingers to gently close her eyes.

-"You're free mother, you have earned your freedom," Then Bane slowly lowered his head and planted a soft kiss on his mother's forehead. His tear ran down the side of her face.

-Rising to his feet, Bane made his way out of the cell, turning back for one brief moment to look at the empty bed one last time, then he made his way farther into the prison.

_MEANWHILE…_

-Alice's adrenaline was working overtime as she fought her opponent. Sekhmet had managed to get in a few good bites and scratches and hits but Alice had kept a clear head and refused to allow fear or distress cloud her mind. Sekhmet's claw was her strongest point and Alice knew that if she could avoid that then she might stand a chance. This wasn't easy of course. For every time Alice would move in for a hit she would have to dodge the weapon of death and she had a few claw marks from times when she was less lucky. But as long as her heart was still beating Alice would fight til it wasn't.

\- "You lasted longer than I thought you would; I'm impressed," Sekhmet commented with a sneer.

-Alice starred back her breathing heavily, "I ain't dead yet."

-"_Meow_, I can see why they call you 'Alley Cat': you're definitely a kitty with a set of claws."

-"Shut up and fight bitch!"

-"I'm sorry, I think you have me confused for a dog!" Sekhmet replied angrily. Then she pounced on Alice and took a swipe at her. Alice jumped out of the way and the claw's tips scratched across her hip and thigh and knocked her Bug Zapper off of her belt, sending it sliding across the floor until it bumped into a wall next to a circuit box.

*From within Freddy's throne room Horseman, Hatter, and Emperor Penguin were watching Alice and Sekhmet's fight on the screen. Emperor Penguin was sitting on Freddy's armchair taking a swig from a bottle of crystal champagne while Mad Hatter and Headless Horseman were seated on either side of the chair.

-"Wow," the Emperor said with his eyes glued to the screen, "Ownley time I eva sawz a fight thiz intenz was win I threw a piez'a foolz-gold between two of me' candy girls. Bout damn time we gut us a rewl woman, eh!" The Emperor exclaimed with lustful delight.

-"What about Bridesmaid?" The Horseman replied.

-The Emperor scoffed, "She's juss a tiny child, an' incase ya havn' bin payen attention, the lil' tart's bin swoonen over the boss. Ha, I wish er' the bess a luck with that!"

-"You do realize she's a _cat_ and you're a _bird_ right?" Mad Hatter asked.

-"An' your point is?"

-"She'll eat you alive…"

-"_Exactly!" _The Penguin said with a wild, depraved look in his eyes.

-Mad Hatter rolled his eyes and turned back to the screen just in time to see Alice and Sekhmet start fighting a bit suggestively. Sekhmet had pinned Alice down on the ground and she was lying between Sekhmet's legs as the cat-creature brought her claw down to finish her off. Alice grabbed the claw and used all of her muscle power to hold the deathblow back. As she did, Sekhmet leaned down closer to Alice until their faces were almost touching and Alice was forced to buck her hips in order to deal with the added pressure. With an evil purr, Sekhmet released her sandpaper tongue and licked it over the spot on Alice's cheek where she had extinguished the cigarette. This caused Alice to gasp in pain.

-At this point, Penguin and Hatter were no longer able to hold back their lecherous impulses and started jacking off.

-"Oh come on!" The Headless Horseman exclaimed standing up.

-"Juss wate bout' 30 seconds and I will son," the Emperor Penguin said keeping his eyes on the screen.

-"Do you two assholes really need to do that right here? What if Freddy walks in?"

-"He'd _join _us," Mad Hatter insisted.

-The Headless Horseman didn't respond. He just waved his comrades off and began walking toward the door.

-"Yeah, go on, walk away," The Emperor called over to him, "That'll git ya _ahead _in life!"

-"Ha Ha, very funny!" The Headless Horseman responded flatly.

-As the Headless Horseman approached the exit, something from inside of a dark cage right beside the door began roaring and hissing violently, spewing green saliva onto the floor as it did so.

-"Pipe down, or I'll nale all yur heads shut I'will!" The Emperor shouted at the unseen beast. Then he took his half-empty champagne bottle and hurled it at the cage. It flew right over Horseman in the spot where his head should have been.

-The Bridesmaid entered through the door just as the champagne glass smashed into the wall just a few inches from her head and sent glass and bitter liquid flying everywhere. A few glass shards struck the Bridesmaid. They didn't hurt her as much as surprise her and she leapt to the floor with a startled yelp. The Horseman rushed over to her and helped her to her feet.

-Mad Hatter took notice of the Bridesmaid's entrance and abruptly stopped his wanking.

-"Hey Caesar, there's a lady present!"

-"A _blind _lady,"

-Mad Hatter pondered for a moment. "Yeah, good point," he said finally and resumed his pursuit for ecstasy.

-Just as the two perverted psychopaths were about to climax, they were rudely interrupted by the Horseman proclaiming, "Hey jerkoffs, let's go! The boss says 'It's time to play ball'!"

-The two monsters let out angry and disgruntled groans of unsatisfied protest but nonetheless got up and walked over to the cage that contained the mysterious beast.

_MEANWHILE…_

-Alice's body was on fire as she exerted every ounce of muscle power she had to overcome her opponent. She felt like she was in the arm-wrestling match of a lifetime and she could not afford to lose. Sekhmet, on the other hand, seemed as though she hadn't even broken a sweat. In fact, it was quite obvious that Sekhmet was toying with her, waiting for her to waste all of her energy by holding her back. It wouldn't be long before Alice had no more fight inside of her and then it would be all too easy for this creature to kill her.

-Alice's body temperature had risen to the point where she no longer registered the cold in her environment. In fact, she actually felt like see was inside of a sauna. Alice soon discovered why.

-Once Alice opened her eyes, she noticed that all of the ice in the room had melted away and the room was now caked in water and vapor. After about 20 seconds of thought processing, Alice was hit with a sudden epiphany that brought a smile to her face. With her mind focusing on the heat racing through her body during her struggle, Alice had unwittingly pictured her whole environment as being as hot and sweltering as she felt. By doing this, she had manipulated the environment within her dream to fit what her mind was picturing. It was a case of Mind over Matter: even though Alice was inside of a nightmare, she was still inside of a world that, with complete mental concentration, could be controlled and altered by thought and will power.

-With a sudden adjustment of her head, Alice let go of Sekhmet's claw and the force Sekhmet was exerting on it brought the five-pronged instrument of death plowing into the ground with such force that the blades actually embedded themselves just centimeters from Alice's head. Alice then struck Sekhmet in the face with a hard swing from her right hand before kneeing her in the stomach, rolling herself free from the cat-creature's grasp, and rising to her feet.

-Sekhmet growled angrily as she struggled to free her claws, which were embedded almost up to the hand. Sekhmet glared menacingly at Alice with a look that said she was going to kill her the instant she freed herself.

-Wasting no time, Alice ran to the exit with Sekhmet snarling in rage. But just as she reached the door she stopped.

-Sekhmet stopped raging and stared at Alice, waiting to see what she was planning. After a short pause, Alice very slowly turned around to reveal a slight, deviant smirk.

-"What the hell is so funny?!" Sekhmet demanded barring her teeth.

-"What's funny," Alice answered, "is the fact that your standing in a room covered in water, and you have metal claw stuck in the ground."

-Sekhmet looked confused. She was about to ask what relevance any of that carried but she didn't have to; she soon _got _her answer.

-Alice's eyes wandered from Sekhmet to the left side of the room until they rested upon the Bug Zapper (which was still drained of energy) lying on the floor just a few feet in front of Victor's body. Sekhmet followed Alice's gaze to the disabled weapon…and then to the circuit box hanging on wall just a few inches off the ground. Sekhmet turned back to Alice, eyes wide and mouth agape.

-"You wouldn't _dare," _Sekhmet said sounding shocked and appalled. This made Alice's smirk widen into a full grin.

-Turning her head and focusing all of her mental concentration on the circuit box, Alice managed to force the tiny door to open on the box. Then Alice shifted all of her mental power on the livewires in the box. Suddenly, one of the wires broke loose and writhed through the air like a serpent. With her eyes still locked onto the wire, Alice brought a hand up and motioned her finger toward the Bug Zapper. The wire obeyed the command and snaked its way over to the back of the device and plugged itself in. There was a loud humming noise from inside of the Bug Zapper and it started to slightly vibrate and give off small electrical sparks. Alice turned back to Sekhmet and with a wicked smile she said, "Bye-Bye kitty."

-Alice took off running just as the Bug Zapper overflowed with power and began spraying a concentrated beam of electricity throughout the entire room while flailing through the air like a fire hose. Within milliseconds the entire room ignited in a sparking flash of purplish-blue light as it became engulfed in electricity. Shockwaves ran across every wall and across the floor and ceiling. Sekhmet's arm acted as one giant lightening rod, drawing a good majority of the current toward her and sending it racing through her body. Her screams of pain vibrated as her body contorted with involuntary muscle spasms, her fur began to smoke, and her vision became nothing but static gibberish.

-The amount of energy being discharged throughout the room became so strong that the electricity started to move through the wires in the ceiling. In the hallway where Alice was making her escape, the light bulbs began to flicker sporadically before popping one by one like firecrackers. As the electric flow continued, the shockwaves began running through every wire throughout the building like snake venom inside the bloodstream. Before long, the circuits all throughout the building became so overloaded that everything that was connected to the wires began to explode. Walls began to burst, roofs and ceilings began to collapse and cave in, and everywhere that had a wire running through it became engulfed in flames.

-In the ensuing chaos, Alice dashed through the crumbling building searching for an escape hatch or a fire exit. But by now most of the escape routes had been blocked off or destroyed, and there were no windows for her to duck out of. Suddenly, Alice just stopped in her place, closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and concentrated. Clearing her head of the noise and danger surrounding her, she focused her energy on the wall in front of her and imagined a gaping hole that would lead her to safety.

-Sure enough, the wall burst open. Alice walked through it and came to a second wall. This time, however, she didn't have to pause and gather her mind before she cleared her path. She just kept her focus narrowed on a straight path and every time a piece of falling debris or bolt of electricity started making its way toward her Alice would redirect it.

-Before long, Alice had cleared a complete tunnel through the building's structure that lead directly into the streets. Once outside, Alice casually walked down the street as the building continued to crumble and burn. When Alice was a fair distance away the entire building exploded in a fiery inferno that sent flaming shrapnel and debris flying through the air and through the windows and walls of the surrounding buildings. But Alice continued to walk away without so much as glancing over her shoulder.

-Once the fire started to die down Freddy appeared in front of the decimated building and watched Alice's departure with an amused smile.

-"Almost got'er," he said while extending the fingers on his right hand.

-Behind Freddy a figure emerged from the smoldering heap. As it walked toward him, it emitted a kind robotic noise as its legs carried it forward.

-"Good to see you're finally awake," Freddy said to the figure as it stopped beside him. The figure's body gave off a short electrical charge. Freddy turned his head around to face whatever was standing beside him. "So, you ready to have some _real _fun?" A glowing red light appeared where the figure's eye should have been.

As Alice continued walking down the dark streets of Arkham City she kept her mind clear so that she could expect the unexpected. She had walked about a mile through the streets when she heard what sounded like a vehicle approaching.

-Alice stopped in her tracks and turned around just as a pink convertible slowed to a halt beside her.

-"Need a lift?" Poison Ivy asked with a smile.

-Alice could not believe what she was seeing. Sensing that Alice may have doubts of whether or not it was in fact really her, Poison Ivy held up the poker card. This convinced Alice, and she found herself laughing out loud at the unexpected but welcoming odds that had crossed her. She hopped into the passenger seat of Ivy's car and they drove off into the city.

_MEANWHILE…_

-Bane found himself becoming more and more disconcerted the deeper he wandered into his former "home". The true horror that lingered in the atmosphere did not come from the rusted bars on the cells, or from the lead-paint that was dangling from the wall in crumbled strips like dried human flesh, or even from the haunting darkness that occupied every corner of the building (all of those disgusting traits were present even in Bane's youth). What truly made Bane feel ill at ease was the fact that he was all alone in this forsaken house of pain.

-Every turn, every room, and every prison block carried a horrible memory that remained as vivid and fresh in Bane's mind as it was the day he experienced it. He remembered the spot where he had witnessed a prisoner (#0176 he recalled) get stabbed in the belly and left to rot in the dark, grime-covered basement (His first exposure to death). From outside the prison window, he recognized the "Punto de Tiburon" where his mother's lifeless body was callously thrown to the sharks while he was forced to watch. And as he walked farther into the gothic structure, he arrived in the block where general population was held. This was where the most raw and painful memories stemmed from because most of them concerned the day when he was first brought there as a small boy. He could still see the savage faces of all those countless, depraved maniacs as they eyed him like dogs waiting for a biscuit. But strangely, their absence actually made Bane feel even more vulnerable because he was now locked away in the place that haunted his childhood with no one to rise above. The pain and sorrow of the prison was now his, alone, to endure.

-Bane was broken out of his nostalgic terror by what sounded like a faint howling in the distance. Bane drew out his knife and looked around.

-"Who's there?" He demanded. No one answered, but the howling continued. With each passing second the howling took on a more distinct form and soon Bane realized the noise was actually someone screaming. The screaming hit a crescendo and Bane realized it was coming from somewhere within with the room. Bane shot his head in all directions like a search light but there was no one to be seen. Then Bane stopped; for now the direction of the noise became apparent: it was coming from above him.

-Looking up, Bane was struck by a yet another horrifying vision from his past. It was the vision of young Bane falling from the third story prison balcony. This happened during his first day in general population. He was accidently knocked over the edge during a prison brawl and suffered what would have been a fatal head injury had he not been visited by the apparition of his "future self" and motivated to rise above pain and fear to become the man he was today.

-But now, there was no such apparition. There was only the terrible sight of fear and doom in the eyes of his former self. Seeing the fear in his own eyes was even more horrific than the fear that Bane felt in that moment when he nearly fell to his death.

-Normally Bane's natural response would have been to reach out his arms and catch the child but the horror of seeing himself fall toward him caused Bane to shield his arms over his face as if the child were a bloodthirsty bat swooping down on him. The screaming climaxed as the vision struck Bane like a sack of bricks, knocking him to the floor.

-Bane frantically struggled to his feet, breathing hard in a cold sweat, and was astonished to see what the vision that had fallen on him actually was. "Edward?"

-The Riddler, who was almost as shaken as Bane, shot his eyes forward.

-"Bane?" The Riddler asked astonished.

-Bane let out a relieved laugh. "Oh Edward, you have no idea how glad I am to see you _hombre!" _He exclaimed while putting a massive arm around the Riddler's skinny shoulders, nearly crushing him. Then he asked, "How did you get here."

-"Well," The Riddler answered, "After hitting up my old girlfriend and giving my barbaric father a lesson in playing ball I escaped the jaws of two beasts that no longer exist by riding the Hand of Fate until it ever so carelessly dropped from a height of at least 33 stories into an open sewer which lead me into this…" The Riddler paused and looked about his surroundings.

-Bane looked confused, "Eddie, are you trying to tell me an overly complicated riddle or-"

-"Oh never mind," the Riddler interrupted, "It's a long story," Then he went back to studying the macabre and ruined prison setting.

-"Good lord, this place makes Arkham look like the Ritz. What is this place?"

-Bane sighed. Taking a good long look at his former home he replied, "This, my friend, is the place where nightmares are born."

-_"I couldn't have said it better myself!" _Freddy's voice called out.

-Both men jolted in surprise but before they could fully react to the sudden intrusion they were consumed by a blinding flash of light.

-A few seconds later there came a loud, piercing noise that sounded like wild cheering. When the light cleared, Riddler and Bane found themselves standing in the center of what looked like tens of thousands of spectators. All of these spectators were prison inmates (both male and female) and all of them appeared as repulsive, almost inhuman beings like something created by Rob Zombie and Tim Burton. They were separated from Bane and Riddler by giant metal prison bars like animals in a cage. Looking down, they saw that they were now standing in some sort of sandpit.

-"Why is there sand everywhere?" Bane asked as if he were expecting the Riddler to know the answer.

-"_Ladies an' Gentlmen!"_ The Mad Hatter's voice shouted. Riddler and Bane both shot their head up and noticed a TV monitor slowly descending from the ceiling. The Mad Hatter was shown on the screen seated in front of a microphone. "_Welcome to the first ever Arkham City Annual Pain Olympics! I'm Mad Hatter and-"_

-There came a sound like an ax breaking through a wooden door and the Headless Horseman appeared, "_Heeeeere's Johnny!" _He then sat down next to the Mad Hatter in front of his own microphone.

_Mad Hatter: "And standing before all you lovely blokes are two very special guests of honor. First we have Edward Nigma, also know as' Riddler': A super genius who is living proof that playing things smart won't always keep you out of trouble."_

_Horseman: "Or make you anymore popular with the ladies!"_

_Mad Hatter: "Yes indeed. And next we have Bane: This behemoth is a lifetime veteran of the prison system. Since he was but a tiny lad he's lived, breathed, and embraced the prospect of a sudden and violent death."_

_Horseman: "And tonight we're going to see if all that death-lovin has prepared him for the ultimate trial."_

_Mad Hatter: "Right you are mate. For tonight brains and brawn will have to join together because in here there is no judgment, no testimony, no deliberation. There is only…."_

-The entire crowd chanted loudly in unison, "EXECUTION! EXECUTION! EXECUTION!" It was then that Bane and Riddler realized these demonic psychos weren't meant to be the animals in the cage, _they _were.

_Headless Horseman: "Alight ladies and gents, without further ado let's get ready to rumbaaaaaaaaaaaaaaal!" _The crowd roared with praise.

-Looking up, Bane and Riddler noticed the The Emperor Penguin taking a seat on what appeared to be a king's throne situated high above the wall directly in front of them. As soon as the Emperor was seated on his throne he puffed heavily on his cigar, took it out, and blew from his mouth, not smoke, but a giant stream of roaring flames, which encircled the duo in a ring of fire. Now they both saw what they were actually standing in: a huge Roman Coliseum gladiator arena.

-"Um, Bane…" the Riddler said nervously.

-"Yeah?" Bane responded equally as nervous. "To answer your question: sand makes it easier to clean up our spilled blood."

-"Release the Hydra!" Exclaimed the Emperor. Suddenly, just below the Emperor's throne, a large double-door made of solid stone and reinforced with steel began to creak open with a ghostly moan. Seconds after the door opened, a massive reptilian head emerged from darkness; it was the head of Gourmand. And then a second head appeared; an exact duplicate of the first, then a third, a fourth, and finally a fifth.

-The five serpents slithered out of the doorway and revealed themselves as one entity: five snake heads attached to one serpentine body. Each head had a length of "neck" that would allow the heads to move independently. On the base body, just below the spot where the heads joined, there was a cavernous hole in the stomach.

-After Gourmand was defeated by Bane it was decided that he would be given a "re-molding". Freddy had ordered his minions to collect the body and he instructed the Emperor Penguin to dismember the creature's arms and legs and give it a serpentine rather than a crocodilian body. By sticking the severed limbs onto the creature's upper back, they transformed into four extra heads that were just as vicious and just as ravenous as the original. And thus, Gourmand was reborn as Hydra-Gourmand.

-All five heads opened their mouths revealing foot long fangs that dripped a lime green liquid that resembled toxic waste. Both men backed up as the serpent slowly advanced. But the Riddler soon noticed that none of the heads had its attention on him; they were all focused on Bane.

-The Riddler turned his head toward Bane and his eye was immediately drawn to the bite-mark on his arm.

-"Bane, how did you say you got that scar again?" The Riddler asked nervously.

-Bane didn't answer, but he did come to a horrific realization: the beast had tasted him once and now it, no, _all five _of them were hungry for the rest. Four of the monster's heads flanked Bane on both sides, two at a time, to block off any escape routes. Then the middle head coiled its neck back and launched itself at Bane like a rubber-band projectile and sent him flinging backwards across the sand.

-The Riddler started to run to his friend's aid but was knocked to the ground by an eruption in the sand directly in front of him. When the Riddler looked up, towering above him was the warped reflection of what used to be Victor Fries.

-All traces of his humanity had been almost completely drained and replaced with machinery. The one human eye was as dark and glassy as the pupil of a dead fish while the other eye glowed as intensely as the light from a sniper rifle. The body looked like a human skeleton covered in metal and steel. The legs were completely robotic while the arms were covered in a thin, pale-white leathery substance that had massive tears in them; the Riddler took this as a poor attempt at trying to replicate human skin. Under the tears, the Riddler could just make out black chucks of what appeared to be burned flesh. One arm consisted of nothing but symbiotic human tissue while the other arm was completely mechanical and appeared to be a charging mechanism for the cybernetic hand, which was fashioned into some sort of metal gauntlet. The head was encased inside of a glass helmet that made it seem as though the head were trapped inside of a snow-globe. His face was covered by a mask with a voice projecting system at the mouth (This mask was exactly like Bane's mask from _Dark Knight Rises). _But the most horrifically striking feature was the abdominal region. Victor's stomach and chest cavity were visible behind a glass casing that held all of his internal functions. There were no organs left, only a pair of metal cogs for lungs, a tiny motor for a heart, a jumbled mesh of pink and blue wires that appeared to serve as the creature's veins and arteries, and a set a steel bars that had replaced the ribcage.

_HEADLESS HORSEMAN: "Oh my! Ladies and gentlemen, it appears as though a fourth contender has arrived to even the field!"_

_MAD HATTER: "And not just any contender! Straight off the assembly line and already packing a punch so devastating that not even the wet kisses from all of your mommies combined could heal the bruises, it's the one, the only, PAINKILLER!" _

_-_The entire arena burst with applause.


	34. Chapter 29: Execution (Part 2)

_Nightmare in Arkham_

Chapter 29: "Execution" (Part 2)

-The Riddler felt like he was going to throw up as his mind tried to process the horror that had befallen his friend.

-"Victor?" the Riddler choked out unable to contain his shock. He grasped Victor by both shoulders. "Victor it's me, Eddie." The monster gave no response. "Victor please! Speak to me! Let me know you're still there!" Still nothing. "SAY SOMETHING, DAMIT!" The Riddler shouted as all of his fear surfaced.

-In a flat, monotone voice that sounded entirely machine, Victor responded, "Goodbye."

-Before the Riddler could say anything else, Painkiller struck him up the side of the head and sent him to the ground.

As the Hydra's head continued to carry Bane farther back, he tightened his grip on the fangs as his feet dragged through the sand. Bane finally stopped at the far end of the arena inches from the flame barrier. The heat from the fire burned intensely behind Bane and urged him to fight. Still grasping the serpent's fangs, Bane started pushing his way forward while the serpent head fought to push him back.

-Bane wished more than anything that he had a sword on him so that he could lop off this monstrosity's head and this image burned within his mind as he fought the creature. As Bane squared off against his foe like a heavyweight boxer the tiny blade fell from Bane's belt and landed point first into the sand. Bane didn't even notice until the blade gave off a fiery glow, and then it changed from a miniscule shank into a 33 inch steel scimitar.

-Immediately seeing his opening, Bane summoned a surged of strength and drove the serpent head's fangs into the ground, stomped his massive foot down on the head, and in one fluid motion Bane grabbed the scimitar and sliced clean through the thick neck of the snake with the sharpness of a guillotine. The remaining four heads shot forward with their jaws open ready to tear Bane to pieces but he cut them call down to size with four well placed slashes from his weapon.

-As the heads fell, Bane threw his arms out with the sword in one hand and faced the audience in a victory pose while soaking up their praise. This was short lived, however, as Bane heard the pained cries of the Riddler.

-Bane turned to see his friend battered and bruised as he was being thrashed mercilessly by Painkiller. Bane started running to his friend's aid but one of the headless necks intercepted his path and, much to Bane's shock, two new heads sprang up out of the stump, hissing with a vengeance. Bane turned to the central body just in time to witness the other four necks repeat the same process. The threat had doubled from five to ten.

-Before Bane could react, one of the heads clamped down on his arm. A searing pain shot through Bane's arm as the snake's lethal injection began to course through his veins. Then a second head clamped down on his other arm, then two more on his shoulders, his biceps, his legs, and then one on his back and the last one on his head.

-Within seconds Bane's entire body was enflamed in toxins. His heart convulsed, his vision become blurry, his muscles began to spasm out of control…and then he was overcome with the power and strength of a God! Bane soon realized this was not venom being injected into his body; it was **Venom. **

-Part of Bane's mind tried to resist the drug, for he knew the power of this super-steroid would consume him and he would once again become dependent on the drug in order to survive. But this moment of doubt was brief, as it was soon eclipsed by the surge of adrenaline, fury, and invincibility that had taken Bane over completely.

As Painkiller continued his assault on the Riddler, the Riddler tried to reason with him. "Victor, I know you're still in there," he said weakly, "I don't know what they did to you. But we can help you. Whatever pain you're in, we'll get you through it."

-"Pain?" The Painkiller said in his robotic voice as he lifted the Riddler off the ground, "I am not in pain. I am impervious to pain. Pain has become my weapon, as I am sure you are now discovering."

-Painkiller threw Riddler to the ground and as he landed he saw something escape from his possession and skitter across the sand. It was the Memory chip!

"No!" the Riddler shouted as he reached a hand for his chip as it continued to roll toward the fire. The chip stopped just a few inches from the flaming wall and the Riddler breathed a short sigh of relief as he started to move toward it. However, his body was in too much pain to make a hasty run for it and he could only crawl along the sand.

-Painkiller slowly walked to the side of the Riddler and lifted one foot as he prepared to stomp the life out of him. Before the Painkiller could deliver the fatal blow, he was struck by a force like a freight train and sent bouncing across the ground. Bane towered over him, his body and muscles now more than ten times their normal size. Painkiller didn't look worried or even affected by the blow; he looked indifferent.

-On Painkiller's cybernetic arm there came a low humming noise that sounded like a rotating fan. Bane took little notice of it and grabbed Painkiller by one of his legs and bashed him into the ground before hurling him aside.

-Painkiller rose to his feet as if he had simply tripped over his shoelace and starred at Bane, his red eye scanning him like a security camera.

-Enraged that his attack seemed to have no effect, Bane charged his foe like a bull and uppercut his enemy in the stomach knocking him into the air before landing another devastating punch to the glass helmet. However, when Painkiller rose again Bane saw that there was once again no damage, not even a crack in the helmet. The only change was that the humming noise had gotten louder.

-Now angry past the point of rational thinking, Bane took the scimitar and slashed at the hydra heads. Once they had doubled to 20 he allowed them to latch on and pump more Venom into him. Now 20 times his original size, Bane grabbed Painkiller in his giant hands, raised him high over his head, and slammed him over his knee with enough force to break him in half (but it didn't). Sure that he had crippled the android, Bane began to relentlessly pummel the nightmare creature with smashing blows from his gargantuan fists.

In the real world Dr. Leland and a team of doctors had been working around the clock waking the inmates from sleep. They had awoken half of the inmates when the news of Harvey Dent's death had reached them. This caused Dr. Leland to go into overdrive and she had managed to wake up the entire asylum save for Bane and the Riddler. At this moment, she was in Bane's cell.

In the dream world Bane had slammed Painkiller with his blows for nearly five uninterrupted minutes. Now he was starting to become exhausted. The excess amount of steroids in his system combined with the excursion Bane was putting on his body began to wear him down and now he felt himself growing weaker with each blow. Before long, Bane's blows stopped making their impact all together and he just swung at the air in a disoriented stupor. After that, he stopped moving completely and fell to his knees breathing heavily with his body covered in sweat and his knuckles covered in blood.

-Painkiller rose to his feet and slowly approached him, his legs giving off a mechanical buzz as he walked, and stopped right in front of him.

-Bane looked up with his eyes filled with contempt. After a brief moment, he gave a long sigh, closed his eyes, and responded acceptingly, "Take your best shot_, _you piece of artificial shit…"

-Painkiller grabbed one of Bane's shoulders and said, "As I said: pain is my weapon."

-Then Painkiller's mechanical arm started vibrating and the humming had reached a crescendo that was nearly as loud as a helicopter rotor. To say Bane's punches had no effect would not be entirely true. They actually strengthened his enemy. The Painkiller's body was like a mechanical sponge that literally sucked up the energy from heavy impacts dealt to the body and stored it all in the metal arm. And now, the arm contained the power of 10,000 bone shattering fists. Like Freddy said: "_If you just stop feeling pain, you can start using it."_

-As the Painkiller drew back his arm for the finishing blow, Bane had a vision of his mother hovering above him with her body encased in a heavenly light. She smiled tenderly at him and held out a hand to him. Bane smiled back and took his mother's hand.

-"_Bienvenido a casa, mi niño," _The mother said in a loving voice.

-The Painkiller's fist struck Bane square in the center of his chest.

*In the real world Bane's entire body exploded in a hell-storm of blood and bones. The glass door to the cell shattered and the walls and floor cracked and the blood filled these cracks and flowed through them like tiny rivers. A crowd of security officers and doctors rushed to the cell and when they arrived they found nothing left of Bane except a bloody heap on his bed. One of the doctors turned to the cell on the opposite wall, whose door had also been demolished, and noticed something lying crumpled on the ground in a pile of glass and bone fragments. It was completely covered in blood and laid totally immobile without and even the slightest movement or sign of life whatsoever. It was Dr. Leland.

_HEADLESS HORSEMAN: "OH! That's gonna leave a mark!"_

-"NO! BANE!" The Riddler screamed. He was now completely alone in this nightmare.

-The impact from the punch left a massive dust cloud in its wake and when it settled Painkiller had vanished and all that was left of Bane was his mask. The Riddler was now alone with the 20 headed Hydra, but not for long.

-_"Hahahahahahahaha Gotta love the Power Glove!" _Freddy's voice exclaimed.

-The Riddler looked up and finally saw the dream demon himself standing atop one of the snake heads. With Freddy's presence made known in the arena, the crowd went wild. Six spectators lined side by side used knives to carve "F","R","E","D","D","Y" into their stomachs, some female audience members clawed their way through the crowd (some using literal claws) and screamed Freddy's name like a horde of banshees, and many of the crowd actually ran into the flame barrier in hopes of getting close to him only to be incinerated by the fire.

-Freddy tapped his foot on the head and the serpent lowered itself to the ground. Freddy causally stepped off the head and walked over to the Riddler. He stopped a few feet in front of him and stared down upon him.

-"Alone at last," Freddy said with a wicked smile.

-"So you're the one behind all of this," the Riddler said with shaking anger.

-"BINGO! We have a winner!" Freddy exclaimed pointing one of his fingers.

-"Why?" The Riddler asked.

-"Why, because I'm an intellectual, like you. I believe in exercising the full power of the mind. The mind is, after all, the strongest weapon that has ever existed. But you already knew that, Edward. For Christ's sake you're the _king _of minds. And that's why you're still breathing."

-Freddy knelt down beside the Riddler. "You and I, Eddie, we're two sides of the same coin," As Freddy said this he flipped a coin in the air and it landed tails up in the Riddler's hand. Much to his horror, the Riddler immediately recognized the coin of Harvey Dent. "We both know the true power of the mind, we're both misunderstood geniuses, we both want the world to bow down to our superior intellect. Oh yes, you and I...we practically _speak the same language._" The Riddler bawled one of his fists in the sand.

-"So what do ya say Eddie, care to join me in making history," Freddy's tone turned threatening as he flicked up the blades on one hand, "Or would you prefer to be drafted like the rest?"

-The Riddler's body shook with rage. He muttered something under his breath that Freddy didn't quite understand. He knelt down closer to the Riddler.

-"Speak up son," Freddy stuck the tip of one of his blades in his ear and twisted it like a Q-tip. When he removed it, it was covered in blood, "I'm a tad bit deaf in this ear."

-"I said I'm nothing like you. I am not a monster!" The Riddler swung his fist off the ground and chucked a handful of sand right into Freddy's face. Freddy covered his face with his arm screaming in pain from the sand that was lodged into his eyes.

-Taking advantage of Freddy's momentary weakness, The Riddler made a mad dash for the scimitar, fumbling from his injuries as he did so. He grabbed it off the ground and staggered toward Freddy intent to kill. Riddler took a violent swing at Freddy's head but Freddy caught the sword with both hands and disarmed the Riddler. He then grabbed the Riddler and flung him through the air where he landed on the ground with his face mere inches from the fire.

-The Riddler tried to get up but Freddy stomped down on the back of his head and pinned him down under his shoe.

-"Typical Eddie: always too stupid to take advantage of a golden opportunity, never willing to play ball like a good little boy. I should be disappointed, but I would expect this from a moron like you," Freddy said coldly. The Riddler opened his eyes…and just a few feet to the side of him he saw the Memory disk.

-The audience began shouting in a riotous frenzy, "Kill the moron! Kill the moron! Kill the moron!" and Freddy was willing to oblige. He grabbed the Riddler by his hair and turned him over and when he did he was dealt a blast from a shockwave that sent him flying several feet into the air.

-The Riddler emerged with the disk planted firmly on his forehead and his injures completely healed. The device had spiked the Riddler's thinking, memory, and processing power to the highest level and since the Riddler's strength was linked to his intelligence, his mind and body were now at 100% capacity.

-"How's _this _for seizing a golden opportunity?!"

-One of the Hydra heads made a quick strike for the Riddler but, with lightening swift agility, the Riddler dodged the attack and leapt for the scimitar. When he grabbed a hold of it, it transformed into a weapon more fitting to the Riddler's style: a large, golden staff that was topped by a bladed sickle in the shape of a question mark.

-Using his expanded memory, the Riddler recalled the Second Labor of Hercules in which Hercules defeated the Lernaean Hydra. When the fowl beast struck again, the Riddler swung the sickled end of his staff through the flames and when he drew it out the sickle was burning. He then slashed the blade through the serpent's neck and the head was sent into the firewall. This time the head did not replicate because the fire from the sickle had cauterized the stump. Unable to regenerate itself, the headless neck receded in the central body. Then several heads came at the Riddler at the same time.

-Thinking quickly, the Riddler leapt onto the neck of one head out of the reach of its fangs. The head reared up and a second head struck at the Riddler but he jumped off of the snake's neck at the last moment and the serpent clamped its jaws down on the neck of its own comrade, killing it.

-The Riddler then decapitated the assaulting head and descended to the ground. The second he landed he was attacked again but he used his staff to sever one of the serpent's fangs. Another head attacked from above and the Riddler held up the snake fang and when the assaulting beast tried to close its mouth on the Riddler the tooth stabbed through its brain. The Riddler then grabbed onto the point of the fang protruding from the head and was hoisted off the ground as the head rose, and as the dying snake lifted its head another snake struck at the Riddler and also became impaled on the fang. The Riddler slid down the dying snake's neck.

-When the next head attacked, the Riddler hooked his sickle into its lower jaw and leapt onto the neck. He then pulled it out of the mouth and plunged it into the beast's throat and allowed himself to slide down the neck, gutting the body as he did so.

-Once on the ground, Riddler relit his weapon in the fire and lopped off the head of another attacking serpent.

_MAD HATTER: My God, this man could give the Queen of Hearts a run for her money!_

_HEADLESS HORSEMAN: I couldn't agree with you more. He's almost as good as I am at making heads role._

_MAD HATTER: What are you talking about? You have yet to decapitate so much as an insect._

_HEADLESS HORSEMAN: That's not true! I impaled that Bat-Whore on my scythe remember?_

_MAD HATTER: With MY body, and I also remember her kicking your sorry ass immediately after. In fact, you couldn't even land a hit on me when we first met._

The Headless Horseman punched Mad Hatter in the face and knocked off his head.

_HEADLESS HORSEMAN: Well lookie here, it looks like my mark's improving._

The Mad Hatter's headless body leapt onto the Horseman and the last thing that appeared on the monitors before they went blank was the two headless bodies smashing into the camera as they sorted out their disagreement.

-Freddy shook his head in disgust. "Kids these days," he said to himself. Then he was struck by a severed Hydra head and knocked to the ground.

-The Riddler had successfully destroyed all but the central head and now the single headed Hydra slinked away in fear. The Riddler allowed it to burrow into the sand and out of sight while he shifted his focus onto Freddy.

-As Freddy stood up the Riddler brought the sickle down on Freddy's shoulder and hooked it in place. He then leapt over Freddy, twisting the point farther into Freddy's shoulder and then he retched it free tearing a chuck of flesh out of it. As Freddy screamed in pain, the Riddler used the groove of the sickle to wrap around Freddy's leg and pull it out from under Freddy, causing him to trip. Freddy landed on the ground face down and the Riddler jumped on his back and locked the groove of the sickle around Freddy's neck in a perfect position to decapitate him.

-"Hey diddle diddle, time for a riddle," the Riddler said triumphantly, "It can be cracked, it can be made, it can be told, it can be played. What is it?" The Riddler placed a foot down on the back of Freddy's head. "Give up? The answer is exactly what you are: a _joke!" _

-Before the Riddler could finish Freddy off he made a seemingly desperate plea with the Riddler.

-"Wait, wait! Before you execute me, allow me to speak my last words. I'd like to test you with one last riddle."

-The Riddler pondered for moment then responded, "Very well. Make it quick."

-"I can't hurt you, but I can leave you with scars. No one wants me but everyone has me. But even though everyone has me, you are the only one who can see me. What a-"

-"A nightmare," The Riddler interrupted, "The answer is a nightmare. It can't hurt you but it can mentally scar you. Nobody wants them but everyone has them but only that individual person can see their individual nightmare."

-There was a brief pause and then Freddy began to chuckle. "Good, very good, there's just one problem," Freddy spun his head around so that he was facing the Riddler, "A nightmare can most _certainly _hurt you!"

-The Riddler jolted back in shock at seeing Freddy twist his head around. Once he was off, Freddy rose his feet. He then realigned his head back to its forward position and starred the Riddler down with a sinister smile.

-"Case in point…" Freddy raised his arm and pointed his index blade directly at the Memory chip on the Riddler's forehead. Then the chip began to multiply until his head was crowned with the chips. Before the Riddler even knew what was happening he was struck with a migraine worse than any he had ever felt in his life. The crown of Memory chips began to discharge electricity as the Riddler's vision began to blur. And then the Riddler let out an agonized cry of pain as his mind felt like it was being consumed by flames. The Memory chips were meant to be used one at a time or else…

-The Riddler's body spasmed out of control, he foamed at the mouth, and his entire central nervous system crashed. The Riddler was still alive, but his mind was now nothing but one giant question mark.

-"Riddle me this: What is the one question you can never answer, if the answer is 'yes'?"

-The Riddler's only response was a strand of drool that oozed out of his gaping mouth.

-Freddy raised the index and middle blades on one hand and plunged them through the Riddler's eyes and into his brain. Then he raised his other hand to the heavens with all four blades extended. A bolt of lightening came down and struck Freddy's blades, passed through his body, and went into the Riddler's brain. The electric current had no effect on Freddy. As for the Riddler, the electricity built and built inside his brain until it finally exploded out of the top of the Riddler's head. The remains of the Riddler's head looked like the bottom half of a broken, hollow eggshell and the jagged edges of what was left of the cranium resembled a crown, thus confirming Bane's prediction.

-Freddy lowered his face to within a few inches of the Riddler's lifeless body and asked, "Are you dead?" there was no answer, "I'll take that as a yes."

_MEANWHILE…_

\- Robin sped down the street on his motorcycle following the high-pitched wailing of the police sirens. He was praying to God that he would get to Batman before they did.

High above Robin the Joker floated through the air like a tiny cloud on a summer day humming the ending of Johann Strauss II's _Blue Danube Waltz. _He backstroked through the air while lightly kicking his feet as if he were moving through water. As he neared a brighter section of the city, the large shadow of a bat descended upon him from above.

-Batman's body slammed into the Joker with the force of a sledgehammer. With his arms wrapped around the Joker in a grip that would have snapped his spine Batman crashed through the window of an office building. Everyone inside the room jumped in fright and began screaming and fleeing in a panic toward the exit as Batman smashed his way through three cubicles. Paper flew through the air as desks, chairs, computers, and file cabinets were knocked over.

-Batman stood up with the Joker still in his grasp but when he did, the clown slipped out of his arms like a bar of wet soap and went flying through the air before landing in a cubical about four rows over.

-Batman sprung over the cubicles in one single rage-fueled bound to the one the Joker had landed and was furious to find that he had vanished.

-The Joker's head popped up from another cubicle. "Haha, ain't I a stinka?" He said with a cheeky smile.

-Batman picked up a desk chair and hurled it at the Joker but he ducked back behind the wall and the chair flew past the spot where his head was before landing with a loud crash.

-"_Brucey, I'm home_!_"_ The Joker said in a singsong voice as he appeared at the hole in the wall to Batman's cubicle. He then started mimicking Ricky Ricardo's laugh.

-Batman took a swing at the Joker's head but the sadistic clown quickly jerked out of the way. "Oh, almost had me there," Batman swung again and missed, "Just a bit more," Batman continued to swing relentlessly at the Joker but never landed a single blow.

-"Sufferin succotash, I don't even think _Selina _was this much of pussycat when it came to fighting," Hearing that line momentarily doubled the already ponderous anger roaring in Batman's head and he finally landed a heavy blow right square in the Joker's face. The Joker smashed through a cubical wall and rolled under a desk. Batman was on him almost instantly.

-He grabbed the Joker by the throat in one hand and slammed him face up onto the desk. With his free hand Batman snatched a letter opener off the desk and raised it high in the air above the Joker's head. But before he even had a chance it to start bringing the killing blow down, a batarang struck Batman's hand and sent the letter opener spinning down to the floor.

-"_STOP! STOP!" _Cried a voice that Batman seemed to recognize. Robin appeared before Batman. Keeping a cautious distance from the mentally unstable vigilante, Robin slowly approached, his entire body pleading for Batman to listen to reason.

-"Please, please don't do this!" Robin begged nearly on the verge of tears from seeing his mentor reduced to such a mentally broken state. "I know it hurts. You and I _both _know-"

-"_No!_" Bruce snapped with a sharp, penetrating glare that caused Robin to back up toward a wall in cold fear. As Batman spoke his breath shook and tears ran down his face. "No, you don't know. You don't know how many lives I allowed to slip through my fingers, the amount of pain I could have prevented from spreading, how worthless and helpless it feels to know that the last thought those people will leave this world with is that I failed them." The whole time Batman raved, Robin was helplessly bound to the wall by the unrelenting grip of fear as he was forced to watch the poor young man struggle for breath in Batman's unrelenting grip of rage. Batman's unstable, volatile mind saw this man as an image of the Joker, and now his face was starting to turn as purple as his suit.

-The man feebly pleaded for Robin to help him, which Batman heard as the Joker saying, "Hey, pain is the root of all comedy." Batman tightened his grip on the man's throat causing him to gag. Robin clenched both of his hands into fists.

-Batman finished in a dark, almost malignant tone as he lowered his face closer to the Joker's, "Or how long I've wanted to tear this disgusting smile off of this inhuman menace."

-And then something happened that caused Robin to experience a fear unlike almost any he had ever encountered in his entire life: Batman started to laugh.

-It wasn't a hysterical laugh, but it was so unnatural and so devoid of empathy or emotion that the sign stuck out to Robin as if it were written in neon lights: Batman was nearing the end of his mental breakdown, which would very likely result in the birth of a new, more dangerous Joker.

-Batman turned his gaze back to the Joker and in a wide smile, comprised of both boiling rage and emotional collapse, Batman said in the voice of true psychopath, "You and I have been playing Cops and Robbers for a long time. Now I have a new game; it's called 'Execution', and it looks like _you're it."_

-Suddenly, there was a loud _Bang_ that came from two different sources. One came from the door to the office as it was burst open by a squad of heavily armed policemen lead by Commissioner Gordon and the second came from the sound of the metal fighting staff that Robin slammed over Batman's head.

-At the same time, Jim and his troopers were maneuvering their way through the office space and pointing guns into every cubicle. When they finally reached the spot they were looking for, Gordon shoved his way to the front of the crowd and gasped at what he found.

-The purple man was on his knees gasping for breath, Batman was lying motionless on the ground, and Robin was on his knees clutching a bent staff. His eyes were filled with horror, as if he had just committed murder.

In the dream world Alice, Poison Ivy, the Nightmare Reflections, the crows, the Nightmare Horse, and even the T-Rex looked up to the heavens in sheer awe. A swarm of bats dispersed from a church bell tower and fly into the sky passing in front of an image in the clouds that seemed eclipse the entire city. It was the Bat-Signal.

-From his lair, Freddy Krueger gazed at the monumental image with a smile wider than any he had thus far displayed since his arrival in Gotham City.

-Brandishing the blades on both hands, Freddy said with pure enthusiasm, "It's about time!"


	35. Chapter 30: Holding On

_Nightmare in Arkham_

Chapter 30: "Holding On"

Boy it feels good to get this chapters up. It took me about four drafts but I think I got them just right

_The red-haired woman sat by her child's bed with the light from a lamp casting a radiant glow on the side of her face. The woman's daughter (a little five year old girl with hair just as red as the woman's) lay tucked under a blue and white striped blanket with her head resting on pillow covered in purple, red, and orange flowers. The little girl gave her undivided attention to her mother as she read aloud to her the final poem from Lewis Carroll's "Through the Looking Glass":_

"A boat, beneath a sunny sky

Lingering onward dreamily

In an evening of July-

Children three that nestle near,

Eager eye and willing ear,

Pleased a simple tale to hear-

Long has paled that sunny sky;

Echoes fade and memories die;

Autumn frosts have slain July.

Still she haunts me, phantomwise,

Alice moving under skies

Never seen by waking eyes.

Children yet, the tale to hear,

Eager eye and willing ear,

Lovingly shall nestle near.

In a Wonderland they lie,

Dreaming as the days go by,

Dreaming as the summers die;

Ever drifting down the stream-

Lingering in the golden gleam-

Life, what is it but a dream?"

_The woman placed the book in her lap and looked at her daughter expecting to see her on the brink of falling asleep. When she saw that her daughter was wide awake the woman smiled at her, half out of tenderness and half out of concern._

"_You're not sleepy yet, kido?" The girl shook her head._

_The woman's smile slowly faded. "Is something the matter?"_

_There was a brief silence before the child answered, "I've been having bad dreams." She said this like she was confessing something naughty she had done. _

"_For how long?" The mother asked. The little girl held up a hand and started counting with her fingers. She looked up at her mother and held up three fingers._

"_Three days?" the mother asked. The little girl shook her head. "Weeks?" the little girl dropped her hand and slowly nodded her head. The woman didn't know what to say, so she leaned in closer to her daughter and asked, "How come you didn't tell me, sweetie?" _

"_I tried telling Daddy," the little girl said with tears starting to form in her eyes, "But he told me to 'just wake up', like he tells me everyday, because that's when nightmares are supposed to die. But I just can't wake up. I try, I really try Mommy, but I just can't-"_

"_Shhhhhh, It's okay, honey," the woman said scooping her child into a nice little hug while stroking the child's hair. After the child calmed herself the woman tilted her chin up and smiled before saying, "I'll teach you another way."_

_The little girl sat up in bed as if she were in school listening to a teacher. The woman's mother sat on her knees so that she was eye-level with her daughter._

"_You can't just simply wake up from a nightmare; that's like running away from every problem that stands in your way. The best way to escape a nightmare is to face it head on. There's a nursery rhyme I learned when I was about your age; it's called the "Dream Master". Every night before I went to bed I would say it to myself before going to sleep, and I would always find that I was completely in control of my dream."_

"_How does it go?"_

_The woman took the child's hand in a prayer position and recited: "Now I lay me down to sleep, the Master of Dreams my soul will keep. In the reflection of my mind's eye, evil will see itself, and it shall die"_

_The little girl looked confused, "'Reflection of my mind's eye'? What's that?"_

_The woman giggled, "In dreams, everything takes on a different meaning than when you're awake, even the mind. In dreams, a mirror is a gateway into your mind, and the reflection you see can represent everything you hate about yourself…or everything you love about yourself. It all depends on the person's state of mind. Much like how the world is divided between good and evil, so to is the mind. Except it's divided between positive and negative. If a person's mind is pure and strong, the reflection will be positive, but if a person's mind is wicked or even sad or scared, then all that person will see is the negative. And that's how their nightmares are created. But if you stand strong and realize that you are the one and only master of your dreams then you can fight the nightmare with positive energy and destroy it."_

"_But how?" the little girl asked, "How can I fight my nightmares? I'm not strong enough."_

"_Alice Lisa Johnson," the woman said feigning astonishment, "Don't say that; don't ever even THINK that. Of course you're strong; you are one of the strongest and most pure-hearted dreamers to ever grace the Earth. And if you put your mind and heart into it, you can do anything, and don't let anyone tell you otherwise." Alice smiled a bit._

"_Do you think I'm as strong as Alice in the story?"_

_The woman smiled at Alice again and embraced her. "You're every bit as strong as her and more, and someday your dreams are going to take you far."_

_After the woman and Alice broke away the woman asked, "You wanna know another trick that I use when I'm having a bad dream?" Alice nodded, "Just dream about someplace fun." _

"_Like Wonderland?" Alice asked_

"_Exactly, like Wonderland. Do you think you can do that?"_

_Alice nodded, and then yawned as she said, "I'll try mommy."_

"_That's my girl," the woman replied and she planted a gentle kiss on Alice's forehead before rising to her feet and slowly walking to the door. When she got to the door she turned around and said to Alice, "Sweet dreams, honey." _

_She then softly closed the door. Alice slowly drifted to sleep, reciting the nursery rhyme in her head like counting sheep until she found herself lying within a beautifully decorated sailboat under a mackerel sky sailing into a vibrantly colored, wonder-filled yonder beyond the horizon. Alice lay on her pillow with a smile that she had been separated from for a long time. _

_The woman considered peaking into the room of her older son, Rick, to see how he was faring with his sleep. She stuck her head in the door and saw Rick deep inside a dream talking in his sleep; something about showing Farrah Fawcett his "trophy collection". The woman smiled as she turned to the wall closest to Rick's bed, which sported a shelf lined with numerous trophies in karate and martial arts._

"_Ah, the mind of a little warrior," the woman chuckled to herself as she left Rick to his dream. _

_She went to the kitchen and made herself a cup of chamomile tea. As she exited the kitchen, she passed a wooden table with a stack of newspapers piled on top. Had the woman paused to look at the newspaper on the top of the pile, she would have hastily gathered her daughter and her son and brought them to sleep in her bed. The newspaper was from the_ SPRINGWOOD VOICE_. The front-page story: "__**Child Killer Set Free".**_

_A few miles away, Freddy Krueger sat alone in his boiler room hideout glancing at the very same newspaper with a triumphant smile. Those fools almost had him, and he thanked his lucky stars that the justice system is a complete and total joke. All because some dipshit cop was too stupid to sign his name correctly on a piece of paper he was released from his cage and would soon be able to spend some more "quality time" with his children. His legacy would last forever…a flaming Molotov cocktail burst through one of the windows and landed right on the paper that sat in Freddy's lap. Freddy leapt to his feet, dropping the flaming paper to the ground in a pile of smoldering blaze. As he shot his head nervously about the room, a second cocktail flew in and set a pile of wooden crates alight. Before Freddy even realized what was happening, the flames spread rapidly throughout the room as a blitzkrieg of fire rained down like meteorites through every window and opening in the building. Freddy made a swift race for the back exit, and he would have made it and escaped with his life had he not made one fatal mistake. Just as he was about to rush through the door and disappear into the night, he realized he had left his prized possession behind: his razor glove. Freddy ran back to retrieve the glove, which hung from a hook just above a furnace that he commonly used to rid himself of the remains of his victims (except for that one little girl whose mother pleaded in the papers "Return my Daughter", to which he happily complied and left the burned, crumpled heap of human remains on the mother's doorstep. This thought caused Freddy to smirk even as his life hung in the balance). Freddy grabbed his glove, fastened it to his hand, and then the furnace exploded and engulfed Freddy in a wave of fire._

-"And then what happened?" Poison Ivy asked as she listened with undivided attention (save for watching the road) to Alice's story.

-"Well, no one knows for sure," Alice answered, "But what I do know is that Freddy Krueger died that night, and then years later he was reborn as something much, much worse. Some say the fear left behind in Freddy's wake hung over Springwood even after his death, and that fear allowed him to return and take his revenge on the people who took his life."

-"Well, he's dead now. I saw him-"

-"No, no he's not," Alice interrupted, "No matter what you saw or what it may look like, Freddy is not dead. I guarantee you."

-"Well then, how do we stop him?"

-"I don't know. I don't even know if he _can _be stopped. Every time someone thinks they've killed or gained an upper hand on him, he always finds a way back."

-A cloud of doom started forming in Ivy's head. "Then...we're all fucked," she said, her voice drained of any hope.

-Alice thought for a moment and replied, "Not quite. I think I know a way to fight him. One of the monsters he's created came after me and I beat it by taking control of my dream."

-"What does that mean?" Ivy asked with deep interest.

-"Freddy may be the one pulling the strings, but we're still in the dream world. And if we-"

-_SCREEEEEEEEEEECCCCCHHHHHHHH_

_-_The car swerved and twisted along the street as Poison Ivy slammed on the breaks. Had Alice not been wearing her seatbelt she would have slammed her head into the dashboard.

-Feeling both shaken and a little angered by Ivy's recklessness she turned and was about to berate her but stopped when she saw the look of sheer terror frozen on her face.

-"What's the matter?" Alice asked, no reply. "Ivy?" Alice put a hand on her shoulder and lightly shook it. "Hey, Ivy what-" Alice turned in the direction Ivy was looking and the same horrified expression washed over her own face.

_MEANWHILE…_

\- In one of the most bizarre turn of events ever witnessed within Gotham, the man that Batman had nearly choked the lift out of, despite the indescribable pain and fear that Batman had instilled in him and against the angered and disappointed protests of Harvey Bullock, had refused to press any chargers at all. The man argued that he had lived in Gotham all his life and learned to live with the fact that the bulk of the city's population consisted of criminals and maniacs and that death could come at anytime from anywhere to anyone. But he believed the worst fate one could suffer would be to lose all traces of their humanity and become one of the freaks of Gotham. And the one sure way to guarantee this fate was by allowing the anger and frustration of daily life to consume them (his actually words were, "All it takes is _one bad day.")_ and the best course of action he could take would be to acknowledge that, yes, he was terrified out of his wit and he could, nay, _would _have been killed if it had hadn't been for Robin's intervention, but he was _not_ killed. And so, all he could do was "Let it go." (Insert _Frozen _joke)

-Deep within the bowls of the Batcave, Alfred, Dick Grayson, and Leslie Thompkins were using the best of their abilities to tend to the unconscious Dark Knight. Dick knew after the incident that Batman would need professional medical attention but there was a huge dilemma: in order for a thorough examination to take place, Batman's mask would have to be removed and there was no way all, if not any, of the doctors at the Medical Center could be trusted with Bruce's secret. So the best course of action would be to bring him Dr. Thompkins, but the problem was while Dr. Thompkins was qualified she didn't have all the necessary tools in her small clinic that were needed to examine Batman's head injury. So Robin picked her up and brought her back with him to the Batcave where all of the proper tools would be readily available. After examining the superficial wound, which was a huge gash on the side of Batman's head, and conducting a CT scan they inserted an intracranial pressure monitor into Bruce's skull in order to monitor any swelling that may be taking place inside his brain as a result of the trauma.

-Alfred assisted Leslie throughout the examination using all the knowledge he had gained through watching his master at work. While all this was going on Dick stood by completely silent. He his mind was a clutter of guilt, anger, shock, and just utter hopelessness. What he had witnessed on this night was the complete demoralization of everything Batman had stood for and it seemed he had finally relinquished his sanity. Tears streamed down Dick's face as he looked to the ground weeping silently.

-Alfred looked up, saw Dick, and frowned. Dr. Thompkins motioned Alfred to go over to him while she took care of Batman. Alfred nodded and walked over to Dick. He placed a hand on his shoulder and this caused him to stop weeping. He turned and looked at Alfred, unable to contain his despair. His melancholy was not eased when he saw that Alfred looked almost as worried as he was.

-"Why don't you go upstairs Master Dick?" Alfred said trying to offer generous sympathy, "I'll call for you if he wakes up."

-"What if he never wakes up?" Dick asked with rage just below the threshold of his breath.

-"Why Master Dick, whatever do you mean? Of course he will. Master Bruce would never allow something as measly as a bump on the head to keep him out for too long."

-"You don't get it, do you?!" Dick shouted. Alfred drew back with a start and Dr. Thompkins shot her glance in their direction. "We may have lost him, Alfred. You didn't see the look in his eyes, or hear the malice in his voice, it was like he was just…just…gone," Dick paused for a moment to breath and muster enough courage to say what he had to say next.

-"All it takes is one bad day. It took one for Bruce to go over edge, and now it looks like it took one for Batman to do the same."

-Dick let out a long sigh and began to walk toward the exit. Alfred thought about walking after him but decided not to and he returned to Leslie's aid.

-As Dick passed through the forensic lab and began walking toward the elevator he stopped and turned toward one of the tables. Something lying under a microscope on the table caught his attention and Dick started walking toward it. Even as he got closer he could not quite discern the object until he reached the table. The object was a tiny piece of red and green cloth, which appeared to have been torn from…Dick's eyes widened in fear and a single word escaped his lips: "Freddy."

-As Alfred and Dr. Thompkins continued to tend to the unconscious Dark Knight, they were both startled by the sound of Dick bursting through the doors and racing toward them shouting, "Wake him up! Wake him up right now!"

-Before either one of them could react, Dick grabbed onto Batman's shoulders and began to shake him like a terrier shaking a rat.

-"Come on, come on! Wake up! Bruce, you have to wake up!" When no response came Dick actually punched Batman in a desperate attempt. Alfred and Leslie grabbed him by the arms and pulled him away.

-"Have you completely lost your mind?!" Leslie shouted; this was more out of shock than anger.

-"Dammit, we have to wake him up!" Dick shouted and the shout echoed through the cave.

-"Well beating him into a second coma won't accomplish that now, will it?" Alfred asked trying to get him to calm down.

-Dick finally broke away from Alfred and Leslie's grasp but instead of leaping onto Batman he actually did try to calm himself and explain.

-"Alright, you two aren't going to believe me, but you have got to listen, okay?" Dick stopped for a moment as he tried to figure out the best way to explain the situation.

-"Just tell us, son," Leslie insisted.

-"Okay, we found out who's been behind all these murders over the past month. It was this man; only he's not a man, he's some kind of malevolent spirit that collects souls. His name is Freddy, and he came after Barbara and me inside of our dreams. That's how he get's you: he invades your dreams while you're asleep and if you die in your dream, you die for real."

-Dick stopped and looked at Leslie and Alfred's faces. Both of their mouths hung open and their eyes bulged with a look of what was either complete terror or utter disbelief. Leslie was the first to speak.

-"Dick, listen to me. We can't just yank him out of unconsciousness. He has to come out on his own."

-"Did you not hear what I just said?" Dick asked angrily, "If he doesn't wake up now, then he doesn't wake up at all!"

-Leslie and Alfred exchanged worried glances.

-"Oh, oh I get it: you don't believe me. Is that it?!" Dick shouted. Then he held up the piece of cloth and practically shoved it in their faces. "You need proof? Look at this! This is a piece of his clothing!"

-"How on Earth did you manage to obtain it?" Alfred asked.

-Dick was about to answer but before he could, his entire mind went blank. As if a switch had been flipped in his head Dick's anger melted away and was replaced with utter bewilderment. He stared at the piece of fabric in front of him as if realizing for the very first time that he was actually holding a part of the dream demon in his hand, not in the dream world, but in the _real _world. His mind could not comprehend how this was possible, and yet, it was.

-Then Dick's blank mind shifted gears and began processing everything that he could remember from his experience with this nightmarish series of events. As the memories fell into place, Dick remembered seeing this cloth for the first time clutched in the hand of Barbara Gordon as she lay on the floor in comatose following Freddy's crippling blow to her psyche.

-"Wait a second," Dick said as if a profound revelation was in the process of unraveling itself to him, "Wait a second! Oh my God, I think I may have figured it out!" Dick said excitedly.

-"My word, Master Dick, what ever has gotten into you dear boy?" Alfred asked.

-"I have to see Barbara," Dick said and then his demeanor instantly turned serious. He walked up to Alfred and Leslie and showed all of the urgency in his eyes to make sure they followed his instructions to a T. "In the meantime, I need you to listen to me as hard as you can. If you value Bruce's life then under _no circumstances, _will you leave his side. Right now he is in more danger than you can possibly imagine. If he so much as whimpers in his sleep, I don't care what you have to do, but you _wake him up. _Okay?"

-Alfred stammered for a moment as Dick's words sunk in but in the end he gave him his solemn oath. Satisfied, Robin hopped onto his motorcycle.

-"Where are you going?" Leslie asked.

-"I'm going to save Batman," Dick answered. And he then sped out the Batcave and into the night toward Gotham's Medical Center.

"Hold on Batman," he said with sheer determination.

_MEANWHILE..._

-In Gotham's Medical Center, Barbara Gordon sat in her bed sobbing. She felt like her entire world was slowly crumbling all around her. In what seemed like the blink of an eye, there had been so much death and pain and calamity and she could not, nor did she think that she would ever, understand why. She had no idea how to fight this evil that had risen in Gotham and even if it was destroyed she knew her life would never be the same again. She knew that she would never walk again and would have to learn to accept that she would be bound to a chair for the rest of her life. But that was the least of her despair. In truth, she would have given up the rest of her mobility without a moment's hesitation if it would bring Selina back, along with everyone else who had died so senselessly. What had truly broken her heart was seeing what these tragic events had done to Batman. For the first time in her young life Barbara finally understood how Batman saw the world. She knew why he could never seem to look past the arbitrary madness of society; it was because that's all life is made of: randomness, fault, insanity, and death, and a small, frail branch of hope that everyone desperately clings to only to have it break in half in their hand.

All Barbara could think to herself was, _What's the point of holding onto something that you'll have to let go of? _It was then she felt a gentle hand stroking her hair.

-She looked up with a start to see Dick Grayson standing over her with his eyes filled with concern. He slowly dropped to his knees so that he could be on eye level with her. Barbara, with tears flowing from her eyes, opened her arms to Dick and he immediately took her in a long, comforting embrace while whispering, "It's okay, Barbara. Everything's going to be okay." Barbara knew better than to truly believe that, but hearing those words comforted her.

-After Barbara's emotions had more or less stabilized she broke from Dick's embrace, wiped away the tears on her cheeks, and asked, "How is he?"

-"He's still breathing," As Dick continued his tone grew a bit more laid back in a weak attempt to cheer Barbara up, "He's probably gonna have a slight knob on his head but that's nothing he could never handle."

-Barbara didn't even catch the humor and asked, "No, I mean is he _okay."_

-Dick sighed. "I don't know. And we probably won't know til he wakes up."

-"_If _he wakes up," Barbara said despairingly.

-"No," Dick insisted, "Freddy is not going to take him. I'm going to make sure of that."

-"How are we going to fight him? You've seen what he's capable of. He's not like the usually psychopaths we've fought. He's not even human."

-Dick took the piece of Freddy's sweater from his belt and placed it in Barbara's hand. Barbara brought it up and studied it.

-"Wait a second," Barbara said as her eyes widened in disbelief of what she was seeing, "This is a part of him! How the hell did you get you this?"

-"I didn't, _you _did," Dick replied.

-"What?" Barbara asked perplexed.

-"The night Freddy attacked you, right after you passed out, I remember seeing that clenched in your fist. Somehow, you pulled a part of him out of the dream world and into reality. Were you holding onto Freddy when he struck you?"

-Barbara scanned her thoughts trying to remember. It had all happened so quickly. But she did remember Freddy angrily shouting that she had "ruined his favorite sweater".

-"Yes," she remembered, "I grabbed onto his sweater. But that still doesn't explain how a piece of it crossed over into reality."

-"I think I have an explanation for that," Dick responded, "There was a brief moment just before you fell to the floor where you awoke. I was looking directly in your eyes when it happened and I'm positive you were wide-awake, until you succumbed."

-Barbara thought for a moment. "So you think that if Freddy's clothing can be removed from the dream world-"

-"-Then so can he," Dick finished, "And out here, he wouldn't be able to bend the rules in his favor. He'd be completely powerless."

-Barbara's face began to glisten with a ray of hope forming in her mind. It seemed Freddy did have a chink in his armor after-all. "So all we have to do is make sure we're holding onto him when we-"

-"_We?" _Dick asked, "Barbara, you can't seriously be saying you're planning on going back."

-Barbara didn't speak but the scowl on her face said it all.

-"No!" Dick said in disbelief, "He's almost killed you twice already."

-"And he's going to _succeed _if we don't act."

-"Barbara, I don't want to lose you again."

-"And you think I want to lose _you?!_" Barbara screamed, sounding like she was on the verge of more tears. Barbara's question had silenced Dick and he could see that she had more to say. So he stayed quite until Barbara calmed herself and she continued.

-"Remember what Batman told me the night I was attacked; about how rushing into a fight alone and unprepared always leads to disaster? Well this is a prime example. You don't know how Freddy operates the way I do. I'm the one who spent God knows how long inside of his world. And I want to help Batman just as much as you do, but neither of us can do it alone and you know it." Dick _did _know it, and it showed in his eyes. "This crisis has given us so little to hold onto, but we have each other. So let's use that to our advantage."

-Dick was hesitant for a moment but in the end he saw no way around Barbara's argument.

-"You're right," He said with a nod.

-A few minutes later, after Barbara and Dick had participated in sleep hypnosis exercise, they were both fast asleep. Dick sat in the chair with his hand holding onto Barbara's while she lay peacefully in her bed. The last thing she remembered before sleep had finally overtaken her was the feeling of her father's lips pressed against her forehead as he whispered, "Sweet dreams, honey." What Barbara didn't remember was the feeling of her father placing something in her motionless hand.

In the dream world, Robin and Batgirl raced through the city toward the sight from where the Bat-Signal was being projected. As the two young heroes leapt over rooftops and raced through the streets, Barbara couldn't help but feel free as a bird. Without the laws of reality crippling her, she was able to move freely within the dream world and she seemed determined to make the best of this opportunity before she had to wake up and succumb to her limitations again. Nevertheless, she was just as, if not more, determined than Robin to find Batman and help him any way she could. In fact, this feeling was mostly what fueled her and allowed her to move through Arkham City faster and more swiftly than she ever had in Gotham. The building was now in plain sight and they were just minutes away from reaching it.

-"Hold on Batman," Batigirl said with determination.

-They reached the building, flung themselves onto the roof...and found no one there.

-"Batman?" Robin called out, "Are you here?" No answer. While Robin began looking out at the city for any sign of their mentor, Batgirl started to feel apprehension.

-"This has to be a trap," she said to herself out-loud. She reached onto her belt searching for a batarrang or whatever she could use for defense and was shocked when her hand found something that she had never carried with her as Batgirl: her father's gun.

-"What the fuck?" She said with wide-eyed surprise. Starring at the deadly weapon, Barbara rationalized that her father had placed it in her hand while she slept as a way of providing her with what he considered "top defense". She was thankful, but knew this weapon would very likely prove useless against Freddy...until they ripped him from his domain. Barbara had never truly wished death on any of her adversaries, not even the Joker. But she wasn't ashamed to admit it now: she would have loved nothing more than to put this weapon to full use on Freddy. But she didn't have time to dwell on this thought for long because a noise slowly began to percolate in her ears. It was extremely distant, but it grew louder with each second. It sounded like a car engine being gunned at full speed.

-"Hey, I think I see something!" Dick exclaimed. He was peering over one of the sides of the roof far into the city through a pair of binoculars. Barbara turned toward him and ran over.

-"Is it Batman?" She asked with high hope.

-Robin didn't answer immediately, as he wanted to get a clear picture first. "No, no I don't think so...but whatever it is, it's moving fast."

-Batgirl took out her own binoculars and peered in the direction Robin was looking. In the far distance, about half a mile into the city, Batgirl could see what was unmistakably a car speeding through the streets as if it were fleeing from something. And off to the side, she noticed some other disturbance making its way through the buildings and leaving a few of them crumbling to the ground in its wake.

-"What a minute," Batgirl said with astonishment, "That's Poison Ivy."

-"What?" Robin asked lowering his binoculars

-"And Alice!"

-Robin brought his binoculars back to his eyes and focused them on the fast approaching car. Sure enough, he saw Ivy hunched over in the driver seat with her hands gripping the steering wheel like her life depended on it. She clearly had her foot floored on the gas because the car was racing through the streets at what Batgirl guessed had to be around 150 mph. Alice was sitting in the passenger seat peering behind the car as if scanning their trail for some nightmarish threat that was pursuing them. They were both heading straight for the building that the hero duo was standing on and Batgirl and Robin started waving their hands in the air and shouting over to them hoping to get their attention.

-Ivy and Alice took no notice of the two young heroes. As soon as their car had reached the end of the street Ivy jerked the steering wheel hard to her left and the car swerved off the road and onto a street curve as she made a tight turn onto another street. They made the turn right in front of Batgirl and Robin and immediately after their car had passed them, the Tyrannosaurs Rex blasted its ravenous body out of the concrete wall and into the street less than ten feet behind the fleeing car.

-The ancient reptile turned its head in the car's direction and, with a thundering roar it began sprinting with earth-quaking stomps after the mechanical morsel.

-Robin and Batgirl were left shaken and absolutely dumb struck as they stared at the mass of concrete and steel that had just been reduced to a crumpled heat by the force of 65 million years of primeval power. They slowly turned their heads toward each other, both of their eyes and mouths widened to the limit of shock. As they stared blankly at each other, the same terrible thought penetrated their minds simultaneously and, as if a switch had just been flipped on inside them, they dashed into the direction of epic chase, each praying that Ivy and Alice could hold on just a bit longer.

_MEANWHILE..._

-Batman slowly opened his eyes groaning as if he had the worst headache imaginable. His entire mind was a blank. All he remembered, and he remembered it so vaguely, was fire, laughter, pain, then total blackness. He cleared his eyes and then he saw that wherever he was it reflected his mind like a mirror.

-Batman was inside of a think shroud of fog so dense that when he stretched out his arm he could barely see his hand.

-"Hello?" He called out. The only response was his echo. He slowly rose to his feet and began walking blindly through the haze trying to piece together the events that brought him here.

-Batman had taken less than 10 steps before a voice stopped him dead in his tracks.

-"_Stop! Stop_!" These words evoked a sense of déjà vu but Batman didn't know why.

-He spun around and he saw a figure slowly walking through the fog making its way toward him.

-As the figure walked through the haze, the fog appeared to dissipate as if to make room for it. When the figure came into clear view, it was revealed to be a small blonde girl.

-Batman was perplexed. He stood starring at the child unable to determine what to make of the situation. Before he had a chance to speak, the girl looked behind him and thrust one of her arms forward. The fog behind Batman lifted instantly, revealing an enormous black pit in the ground as wide as the Earth.

-Batman gasped and took a few more steps back. "What is that?" he asked.

-"That's the Abyss," the girl explained, "That's the part of every human beings' mind that they must leap every day. Most people make it, but once you slip up and fall down into that place, there's no coming back."

-Batman looked at the ground at the spot where he had risen to his feet and then followed his gaze to where he had almost gone off the deep end. He was about a door's length away.

-"Is it usually this gigantic?"

-"Sometimes," the child answered, "Sometimes it's smaller, and sometimes it's much larger. It all depends on how heavy one's mental burden is."

-The child looked up at Batman and said, "We've been watching you."

-Batman looked at the child.

-"We know everything you've accomplished, everything you've fought for, and everything that you stand for."

-"We?" Batman asked, "Whose 'we'?"

-The girl held out a hand to Batman. "I'll show you."

-Batman was hesitant, as he still had not fully grasped the situation.

-"Would it help if you knew who I was?" the little girl asked.

-Batman nodded.

-"My name is Kristen. And I want to help you destroy Freddy Krueger."

-At the mention of that name a spark ignited in Batman's eyes and a whole slew of memories came flooding back. They were memories of devastation and pain and loss but the strange thing was Batman had no idea what those feelings pertained to. Nevertheless the memories had an adverse effect on Batman's mind and his body felt the very same pain. Batman found it incredibly hard to stand. It was as if the memories were weights that had been suddenly and violently dropped onto his conscience. As Batman fought to keep his balance he found himself teetering on the edge of the Abyss again. He fought with all his might to regain his balance but the weight continued to bear down on him and he would have fallen into the black had Kristen's hand not grabbed onto him and pulled him forward.

-Batman fell to the ground face first but when he tried to stand he found that the weight had become so immense that he could not rise to his feet. When Batman opened his eyes, he looked up to see Kristen standing over him with her hand stretched out to him. Batman took it and she pulled him to his feet. Kristen turned around and flung her arm forward. The fog dispersed and Batman now saw that he and Kristen were standing inside of a massive cave. An ominous blue lighting from an unknown source that cast a gothic aura onto the stone architecture illuminated the tunnel.

-"Follow me," Kristen instructed as she began to lead Batman through the cavern, the weight still bearing down on him.

-"What's happening to me?" Batman asked.

-"You're feeling your memories," Kristen replied, "Right now we are inside of your mind. And your mind has been damaged to where you've lost touch with yourself."

-"Is that how I came so close to falling into the Abyss?"

-Kristen touched a finger to her nose. Then she asked, "You don't remember what caused this pain, do you?"

-"No, I just feel a great emptiness, like I've lost something very important to me. And that name…I know that name but I don't remember who it belongs to."

-Kristen turned her gaze to Batman and he saw a trace of concern in her eyes. "You'll know soon enough," Kristen replied. When she said this, the words sent a chill up Batman's spine. They were not devious, but they seemed to almost indicate a sense of foreboding horror that was nearing quickly and the sentence echoed through the tunnel.


	36. Chapter 31: Letting Go

_Nightmare in Arkham_

Chapter 30: "Letting Go"

-Ivy's car tore down the road at what a pedestrian would have thought to be the speed of light, leaving behind a powerful breeze in its wake that actually sent whole garbage cans on the side of the road flying as it zoomed past. Alice was sitting frozen in her seat with her eyes glued on the rearview mirror as she watched with dagger filled maw of the fast approaching monster widen and completely fill the mirror.

-"Must go faster, must go faster!" She said anxiously. (Yeah, you knew that joke was coming.)

-"It won't go any faster!" Ivy shouted, "I've already got it floored!"

-"I told you not to move, to just turn the car off and stay-"

-"Oh Jesus Christ," Ivy exclaimed sounding both scared and annoyed, "That's just a myth, Alice! You really think an apex predator like that would rely explicitly on sight to find prey? This isn't a goddamn movie!"

-Alice's eyes turned back to the mirror and then Ivy's words seemed to spark something in Alice's mind.

-"You're right, this isn't a movie...but it's not _reality _either," Alice said with a smile.

-She unbuckled her seat belt and turned around to face the T-Rex.

-Ivy saw this out of the corner of her eye and said astonishingly, "What the hell are you doing? Sit back down!"

-Alice ignored her as she tried to clear her mind and focus directly on the enemy fast approaching. However, Alice found this to be much more difficult than when she had done it the first time. This was because, aside from the loud gunning of the motor and Ivy's shouts, Alice also had to overcome the erratic swerves of the vehicle, which would cause her to lose her physical balance and, in turn, her mental balance. Eventually, Ivy gave up trying to reason with Alice and put her attention back on the road while Alice continued to try and gain ahold on her own mind. Then, less than a mile straight ahead, Ivy saw their salvation.

-"Alice?" Ivy said turning to her. Alice's gaze had become hard and narrow and she had a hand reaching out to the T-Rex as if she actually thought this would hold it back. Ivy broke Alice out of whatever delusional trance she had put herself in by reaching up, grabbing a handful of her hair, and yanking her down.

-Alice gave a short, pained yelp as she was pulled down into her seat.

-"Ow! What the hell was that for?!"

-"Buckle up," Ivy said urgently.

-"What?"

-"I have a plan. Put on your seatbelt, it's not gonna be a gently ride."

-Alice saw the seriousness in Ivy's face and did as she was told.

-"Just don't kill us, okay?"

-"I'll try."

-The two women were about 30 feet in front of the dinosaur and less than 20 feet in front of them was the edge of the thickly wooded Robinson Park. Once the car was on the street running parallel to the woods, Ivy made a sharp turn that left skid marks tattooed on the street. In that moment, the T-Rex closed the distance between them and lunged its jaws forward. The car managed to speed out of the T-Rex's strike range but not before its jaws tore off a piece of the car's truck. Up ahead, Ivy could see the trail that cut through the woods.

-"Alright, sit tight!" Ivy exclaimed. Ivy made another sharp turn, though this one was more controlled, and the car swerved off the street and onto the dirt trail. Once the car was a fair distance off the road, Ivy adjusted the rearview mirror and watched with an anticipated smile.

-In less than 10 seconds the rampaging lizard appeared at the opening and sent a howling roar so powerful into the woods that Ivy and Alice actually felt the draft from the monster's breathe from inside their car. However, this would be the last roar it would ever make. When it took its first earth-shattering step onto the hollow ground, the T-Rex's 14,000-pound body smashed a gaping hole in the earth and the raging fire that was still burning in the cavern beneath the park swallowed the monster up.

-"WOOOOO YEAH BABY!" Ivy exclaimed with an overdose of pride. Alice just looked at her with an astonished smile. Ivy turned to her and, still experiencing a joy rush, exclaimed, "I told ya I had a plan! Didn't I tell ya I had a plan?!"

-"_Yeah _you did! ," Alice exclaimed with equal excitement.

-"Damn straight! Give me some skin Dr. J." Ivy said raising a hand up, and for a brief moment it actually sounded like the words were coming from Harley Quinn.

-Alice enthusiastically slapped her five and the two of them shared a laugh.

-When the laugher died down Alice asked, "How did you know?"

-"Because I used to _live _in this park," Ivy said with a smile and pride in her voice.

-Alice chuckled and said "Oh Ivy, you're as brilliant as you are green."

-Ivy turned to Alice with her lips curved into a wide smile.

-"Dr. Johnson," Ivy said as she placed a hand on Alice's.

-"Yeah?"

-"From now on, just call me Pamela."

-Alice smiled back at Ivy...then the burning, disfigured head of the Tyrannosaurs erupted from out of the ground in one last effort to seize its prey.

-Pamela slammed on the brakes just as the wrath-filled mouth clamped down on the hood of her car.

-Both women reacted at the same time but it wasn't soon enough. By the time they had un-did their safety belts and made their leap out of the open roof, the car was already halfway submerged. However, before they were both pulled to their deaths, Alice managed to grab onto a thick root dangling from the hole and, with her other hand, she managed to grab onto Pamela's and she held on as tightly as she possibly could. But now their situation had become extremely dire. For now they not only were faced with the threat of literally falling into Hell, but the fire burning within had created a new threat. The underground enclosure had trapped a large quantity of thick black smoke inside the cavern. And now the hole that the two women where clinging to for dear life was now serving as a chimney from which the vast, breath-hindering smog was escaping. If they were not able to pull themselves out soon, then the smoke would either choke the life out of them or cause them to pass out and fall to the flames.

_MEANWHILE..._

-Batman and Kristen walked for what seemed like hours through the dark recesses of Batman's own psyche. Batman, like so many other people, had always pictured the inside of one's mind to be vast and limitless like space. But it was limited to one long, unending path that stretched on for eternity. However, this path was not without change. In fact, it seemed to change slowly but surely with each passing minute. And with each change Batman slowly regained a tangible sense in connection to his memories.

First, he began to hear the cries and screams of loss, anger, and fear:

-"_NOOOOOOOOO! HARLEY!"_

-"_Nothing will! Nothing will!"_

_-"__Oh God, what have I done"_

_-"__I loved her more than anything!"_

_-"I know it hurts. You and I __both __know- No!"_

_-"it looks like __you're it."_

_-"__No more innocent people have to die!"_

Then, he began to notice the ambient formations of the rocks and the shadows cast by them taking on more hauntingly detailed images:

-Four rocks lined side by side looked like a set of sharp fingers

-A Piece of vertical limestone with a jagged curve appeared as a severed spinal cord and rock above it and the shadows on its surface almost resembled the agonized face of a young woman.

-Faces began to appear in the walls, all of which showed languished, petrified expressions of what was unmistakably brought on by a bloody, violent death.

-With each memory that slowly materialized, Batman began to show behavior similar to one experiencing a bad drug trip or suffering from schizophrenia: he began to breath heavily, jerk his head in all directions, feel uncomfortable in his own skin, murmur incoherently in response to the voices and images appearing before him, and seemed completely trapped within himself.

-"We're here," Kristen said. Batman snapped out his trance with a startled gasp, feeling like he had just had something exploded right beside him.

-"Where?" He asked.

-"The center of your mind," Kristen responded. At the center of Batman's mind, the long, narrow cave had expanded into a massive cavern. At the four corners of the cavern there were four separate caves in the walls.

-Kristen saw Batman glancing at these caves and she explained to him, "Those caves each lead to the four lobes of the brain."

-Batman was about to respond but he was cut off mid-sentence when he looked forward. On the wall, facing Batman, between the two caves, there was a limestone formation that consisted of a multitude of giant stalagmites perturbing from the floor and ceiling. These stalagmites were so long that they closed the gap between them by interlocking between each other like a set of dagger like teeth.

-Batman didn't know why, but this image troubled him and he turned away. It was then that he noticed something peculiar. Walking out of each of the four caves were four more children (the same two boys and two girls that always accompanied Kristen). Each of them was carrying what appeared to be a chunk of broken glass. The children all walked up to Batman and stopped right in front of him. They stared at him with a mixture of what appeared to be amazement and urgency. Kristen took her place at the front of the group and then, as Batman looked on confused, they all changed.

-Each of the children transformed from children into teenagers. But not just any teenagers; they were the very same teens from Alice's home video from Chapter 7 (all except the taller of the two boys). And Kristen was the blonde girl with baggy eyes. And now these same eyes were starring into the chalk white gaze of the Dark Knight.

-Eventually, fear and impatience took a hold of Batman and he demanded to know who these people were and what they wanted from him.

-Kristen turned to her friends and one by one they stepped forward and introduced themselves.

-"Sheila", "Debbie", "Rick", the last of the teens to speak was the boy who was not included in Alice's video.

-"My name's Dan," said the boy from Alice's office photo, "And we all want the same as you: to end this nightmare once and for all."

-"And right now, you're the strongest weapon we have," Shelia said.

-"How?" Batman asked, "I don't even know who I am anymore, or even who I'm fighting."

-Rick answered, "Right now, you're fighting _yourself. _That's what's caused you to lose your balance. And that is exactly how Freddy will be able to kill you."

-"It's how he was able to kill us," Debbie added, "And how he killed Jonathan and Harley and Victor and Selina."

-Batman looked as if a dart had just struck him in the chest. He couldn't remember any of those people's faces but at this point he knew their names and remembered that they were very close to him, especially Selina, and now they were all gone. Tears started to fall from Batman's eyes.

-Kristen walked over to Batman and placed her hands on his shoulders and looked him straight in the eyes. "But you're different. You're a special case."

-"How?" Batman asked.

-"Because this identity that you've created, this symbol that you've become, is so powerful that it's separated your mind from the person beneath the mask. That means Freddy won't be able to use your past as a weapon because he only knows your superficial weaknesses, not your deep, internal ones."

-"The problem is," Dan chimed in, "Your superficial weaknesses are tearing you apart right now. But if you can overcome them, Freddy won't be able to lay a finger on you and you'll have all the power in the world to fight him. And that's why we're here: we're going to help you overcome yourself."

-"How are you going to do that?" Batman asked apprehensively.

-Dan and the others turned their eyes to Kristen. She looked at them, nodded her head, and then took out a large glass shard from her coat pocket. The teens all followed suit and took out their shards as well. Now that Batman was closer, he could now see that they were not pieces of glass but pieces of a shattered mirror.

-"We're going to piece your mind back together," Kristen explained, "But when that happens you're going to come face to face with the most mentally-enduring challenge of your life. Are you willing to accept that."

-Batman was hesitant for a moment. Then his eyes grew stern and he nodded his head.

-Kristen gave a faint smile and said, "We knew would be."

-The four teens assembled the mirror and it gave off a blinding shine as the cracks where erased. Batman covered his eyes until the light dispersed.

-When Batman opened his eyes the five teens had vanished and he was left standing alone in front of the stalagmite formation. But now, looking at the entire display from a fair distance, Batman saw the formation of what was undeniably a dark, satanic smile from an unseen face. But the image conjured a face in Batman's mind that nearly tore a horrid scream from the Dark Knight's lungs. It was the face of the Joker and when the Clown Prince of Crime's face was made visible to Batman's eyes he heard the sinister cackle of his archenemy echo throughout the caves of his mind.

-Then the laughter changed. It grew deeper with a more sinister tone meant to induce fear rather than insanity. It was Freddy's laugh.

-The stalagmites parted like the jaws of a hideous beast and a black mist escaped from its maw. The mist took on the form of a demonic shadow with a face that consisted of a pair of red eyes and a mouth as green as the eyes of a cat. The mouth was wide enough to swallow a human, which is just what it did.

-The demonic mist lunged at Batman and before he could react it devoured him and plunged his world into complete darkness. However, this darkness did not last for very long.

-A raging fire penetrated the black void and danced menacingly before Batman's eyes. The flame was accompanied by the high-pitched screams of a female voice that Batman knew all too well. When Batman finally brought his full gaze unto the fire, he saw, trapped within the conflagration like an animal locked up in a cage, the form of Selina Kyle helplessly trying to escape her prison. All the while, Selina howled in agony as she burned alive.

-Batman managed to run about three frantic feet toward his tortured love before a gigantic Elm tree sprang up out of the ground right beside the fire. Looking up, Batman could see on one of the branches that hovered directly over the fire, the figure of Poison Ivy. She was hanging by a thick noose made from a thorny briar vive that was tearing into her neck as she slowly began to suffocate. Batman's already ravaged heart sank as he watched her extend a feeble hand toward him pleading for him to save her.

-As Batman looked on helplessly, a dark figure wisped past him leaving a chilling breeze in its wake. The figure was a black shadow that began snaking its way up the tree, constricting the axis in phantasmal coils. When the shadow had slithered about half way up the tree it stopped and regarded the petrified Dark Knight. It was then that Batman saw that instead of a head, the shadow's upper half was actually a hand with four razor-sharp claws. The claws extended with a metallic _shink _and then the hellish blades began tearing at the bark of the tree. However, each time the claw tore off a hunk of bark, it left behind a bloody wound in the tree that literally bled crimson blood as though the claws were ripping away human flesh. But that was only half of the result of the claw's sadistic mutilation.

-With each wound made in the tree, the upper portion of a human body would peel out of the wound and hang suspended on the side of the tree like a tiny branch (or a broken bone sticking out of a human body). These human figures were all painted crimson red from the tree's blood but Batman could see clear as day that they were all the people Batman had failed to save: Jonathan Crane, Harleen Quinzel, even Andrea Beaumont.

-Just when Batman thought he had reached the limit of the unspeakable terror racing within his soul, the finishing touch was added to this macabre masterpiece. The dark blade extended one of its razor fingers and slashed a hole out of midair. Then Batman heard loud screaming escaping from the hole; they were both male and female screams and Batman gasped in cold-blooded fear as he recognized the voices.

-Dick Grayson came plummeting out of the hole followed by Barbara Gordon. As the two teen-heroes began to fall past the tree, the shadow jabbed one of its claws through the trunk of the tree and the edge of the top half of the blade changed from a smooth, broad surface to a serrated, saw-like surface. Dick Grayson was already beneath the blade when this action took place but Barbara wasn't so lucky. She landed sideways on her back right on top of the saw-blade edge with loud "_CRACK"_ as the jagged teeth ripped into her back and snapped her spine like a twig. A set of shackles appeared on Barbara's wrists and ankles and the chains dropped to the ground like a set of vines and caught Dick Grayson in midair by his wrists and ankles, binding him to Barbara. Dick's weight slowly began to pull Barbara's still alive and conscious body downward causing the teeth of the saw to begin to slowly cut through her body.

-"WHAT IS THIS?!" Batman screamed with a fear in his voice that he had not felt in a long time. The voices of the teens answered back but they did not make a physical appearance.

-_KRISTEN: "This is every nightmare that you've created for yourself. And this is everything that Freddy will use to destroy you."_

-The agonized chorus of screams from the nightmare tree racked Batman's mind with pain.

-"Please! Make it stop! I beg you!"

-_DAN: "We can't. Only you have the power to overcome this."_

-"I can't!"

-_DEBBIE: "Yes you can! This is what you've been fighting all your life."_

-"Not like this! How am I supposed to save them?"

-_RICK: "By letting go."_

_-_"What?"

-_RICK: "You've been using fear as your weapon all your life but you've allowed your own fear to control every choice that you've made."_

_-SHELIA: "You've always said 'pain never truly fades, but it gets better'. That's not true. ALL wounds heal if you let them."_

_-_"What about _their _wounds?!" Batman snapped angrily with tears in his eyes while pointing at the tree of torture. "Will their wounds ever heal?"

-_DAN: "Yes, they will. We know because they are with us right now."_

-Batman was perplexed. "What are you talking about?"

-_DAN: "Freddy's taken __all of us.__ We are all his children now. But if he's destroyed, then the damage he's done to us will be mended and we can finally rest in peace."_

-This information seemed to have a dramatic effect on Batman and he grew completely silent as he tried to digest the information. Kristen took advantage of this silence and spoke up.

-_KRISTEN: "Listen to me, we know you've suffered great losses in your life. We've ALL lost something, something we can never get back. But you still have what was taken from us: you still have life. As long as you're still alive you still have a chance to make a difference. And isn't that what you've strove to accomplish your entire life? You've accomplished so much. In fact, you probably don't even know the full extent of your achievements. Very few people ever take a chance to make a difference in the world. But you've sought out and taken EVERY chance possible. You're more than a man; you're a __cause. __ But you, of all people, should know that causes don't always succeed. In fact, the whole point of a cause is to try, to fight for what you think is right. And that's all you've ever done: you've always tried."_

-Kristen's words evoked something in Batman. He very slowly turned around and faced the nightmare tree. Now, the flames that were incinerating Selina Kyle had spread to the tree and they were now burning the bodies of Batman's "failures". The saw had finally cut through Barbara's torso and sliced her in half sending Dick Grayson falling to his death. Then the fog retracted its claw from the tree and grabbed a hold of the vine that was still in the process of strangling Ivy. It hoisted the vine in the air and Ivy's neck snapped with a loud pop. However, as Batman looked on he didn't feel quite so afraid anymore.

-As Kristen's words played in Batman's head, Rick spoke up.

-_RICK: "Sun Tzu once said, 'If you know your enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles'. You know your enemies all too well. But do you know yourself?"_

-Batman nodded his head and very sternly said, "Yes."

_KRISTEN: "Then PROVE it. Tell us, who are you?"_

-The tree had been completely engulfed in the flames by now.

-"I am vengeance…"

-The tree began to fall forward.

-"I am the night…"

-All of the Dark Knight's fears and failures literally came crashing down on top of him in a roaring blaze. A long moment passed and it seemed as though the flames had consumed the Knight. Then the flames were abruptly and violently departed as the Dark Knight flung his cape over his shoulders like a bat stretching its wings.

-"I…AM…BATMAN!"

-The shadow claw twitched and writhed in anger at Batman's strength and, in a last ditch effort to consume the Caped Crusader, it raised all four of its bladed fingers and lunged for Batman like a deadly cobra.

-Batman defied the nightmare's attack and when it was about to land its blow Batman struck it with a rage-fueled fist and the nightmare shattered like glass.

-Once Batman had broken through the barrier of his mind, he found himself standing inside of a massive control room. It was dark, silent, and completely devoid of any life. Knowing that none of these were good signs, Batman reached down and grabbed a mirror shard that had been broken into a considerable size to which he could use as a weapon if he needed to. Then he began inspecting the room. It looked abandoned, like no human being had set foot inside of it in decades. The floor was covered in dust and the air was cold and stank of mold, fungus, and decomposition. There was an armchair that sat in the center of the room that was completely covered in darkness and behind it was what Batman had first thought was a broken security monitor. Then, in the far corner of the room, Batman heard a faint scraping sound, like a rusty nail scratching against a piece of metal.

-Batman shot his head in the direction of the noise and took out a flashlight. When he shined the light, he saw what appeared to be very old, very ancient furnace. The door was open, swaying very slowly off to the side. He very cautiously approached the furnace and peered inside.

-The interior walls were pitch-black from years of collected ash and cinder and on the floor lay a great heat of greyish black dust with little chunks of rock and splinters of wood mixed in. But looking closely at the charred remnants in the furnace, Batman noticed something peculiar lying in the heap. At first glance it looked like an ordinary rock, but this rock had a definitive shape and was clinging to a tiny piece of burnt leather.

-Batman picked up the tiny pebble and held it in the palm of his hand as he closely examined it. It took him less than 10 seconds before he realized the horrible truth that this was actually Selina Kyle's cat pendent he was holding. And this realization lead to an even grimmer one: the "rocks" and "splinters" were actually fragments of human bone.

-Suddenly, the furnace door slammed itself shut and Batman found something attacked to the door that wasn't there before. Somehow a note had been attached to the door without Batman's knowledge. The note was inked in blood, signed with a tiny cat paw-print, and had only three words: "CURIOSITY WAS HERE".

-Growling through gritted teeth, Batman clenched the hand that held Selina's pendent into a tight fist and slammed it into the furnace causing it cave in. Then the monitor Batman saw earlier flashed on behind him.

-Batman turned to the monitor and slowly approached it. When Batman got close enough he saw that the monitor Freddy had been using was actually not a monitor but a _mirror; _a mirror that allowed him to see into the mind's eye of all the people he had singled out. But what sent a cold chill running through Batman's blood was what appeared inside the mirror.

-Lined up and crossed out with an "X" that looked as if it had been carved with a burning knife were profile pictures of all the people Freddy had killed. But one of these profiles stood out from the rest, and when Batman saw it the cold running through hia blood turned to boiling rage. Right above Batman's profile were those of Robin and Batgirl, but Batgirl's profile had only half an X burned across it as if the person keeping score had decided to mark her as "half dead" and that he would inevitably finish her off for good.

-"You bastard!" Batman snarled out loud to himself. He wasn't expecting an answer, but he got one.

-"_Hehehehehahahahaha, what can I say? In here, you snooze..." _Freddy flicked one of his claws up, "..._you __**lose."**_

-Batman didn't turn around or even show any indication that he was at all surprised by the sudden presence. He just raised his head and awaited the evil in the room to reveal itself.

-The armchair in the room slowly turned around and Freddy rose his feet, his face gleaming with anticipation as he awaited the first glimpse of the legendary nightmare that had plagued the mind of nearly every one of his recent victims. He was expecting Batman to at least tremble knowing that his end was near but he remained standing with his back turned, ever silent, ever stoic.

-"Hey chief, the show's this w-" Batman spun around, his ghostly eyes stabbing into Freddy like a wooden stake through a vampire's heart. When Batman turned, Freddy actually had the same reaction as Alfred when he saw Batman for the first time.

-Seeing Batman's face from the mirror was one thing, but to actually have this full embodiment of true terror standing right in front of him like a demon shadow with eyes that could stare into Freddy's soul (if he had one) was just chilling. Freddy had never felt more thrilled in his entire life, living or dead, than he was now.

-He let out a laugh so menacingly obscene that is would have stopped the heart of anyone else hearing it, but Batman stood unhindered. In fact, rather than scaring him, the laugh made Batman angrier because this wasn't the Joker's laugh of mindless insanity, this was the laugh of pure, unredeemable, unsympathetic, unspeakable evil.

-"The Dark Knight of Gotham," Freddy said with a horrid smile as he brought his hands in front of him and parted them to his sides. As he did this, he kept all eight of his claws pointed upward fully displaying the torturous weapons he had used to tear Batman's mind apart.

-Then Freddy tipped his hat his to his greatest adversary and said forebodingly, "Welcome to _my _nightmare, Batman."


End file.
